Stiletto
by chiisai-kitty
Summary: Out of options, Sookie Stackhouse finds a job at an unlikely place. A place that happens to be owned by a certain blonde vampire. But not in the capacity that most might think. This is an AU story, but it retains some good stuff; details inside.
1. Welcome to the Dollhouse

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: I'm back! And tackling a second story. For those of you who got here from the shameless story-pimping in 'Drawn', I love you guys. I've gotten a really reception from 'Drawn', and I thought I'd try this story. While this is an AU story, I've retained a lot of original elements. For example, everyone who is featured in this story, any kind of supernatural affiliation they may have carried over. So the vampires are vampires, the shifters are shifters, etc. And Sookie is still a telepath. The original plot is non-existent (hence AU) as well as most pre-existing relationships. I will perhaps put some people back together, but who knows for now. Oh, and an additional note, Dahlia from 'Drawn' is a character in 'Stiletto' as well. I just got such a good response on her character and, quite frankly, I love her. So I decided to give her a fairly integral part in this story.**

**Without further ado, Enjoy 'Stiletto'!**

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**Chapter One- Welcome to the Dollhouse**

Sookie Stackhouse took one last look at the neon sign before going inside. _Fangtasia_, it read. She thought the name sounded really cheesy, but she supposed that it was an apt name for a gentlemen's club. She also wondered what the hell she was doing in a gentlemen's club. And looking for a job, no less. Sookie knew that her Gran would be rolling in her grave, rest her soul, if she knew. But a girl's got to eat, right? She had just exhausted the last of the money she had left over after she was forced to sell her Gran's old house. It had broken her heart, but she had no other choice. So she was currently living in a two-bedroom apartment, which she rented, and she only had enough money to pay her share of the rent. Hence, the job search. Her roommate, Amelia, was an exotic dancer and had suggested this place. Hence, Fangtasia.

As Sookie took in her musty, smoke-filled surroundings, she was feeling really stupid for not looking for work sooner. She had opted instead to "grieve". Said grieving had lasted almost a year. By the time Sookie needed to find a job, pretty much everything was filled up due to the current recession. Truth be told, her skill set was pretty limited having not gone to college. With her "gift", school was unbearable. So when Amelia said that there was a waitress opening at her work, Sookie practically jumped at the chance. She knew a bit about slinging drinks from working at the local watering hole, and she knew her assets would be beneficial in a gentlemen's club. That, and Amelia said the pay was pretty good. So here she was, in a skin-tight dress, telling her inhibitions and Christian upbringing to take a hike.

As Sookie stepped out into the main floor of the club, Amelia spotted her and bounced over, clad in a bikini. "I was starting to wonder if you were actually gonna show up," Amelia stated.

"So was I. But hell, I need the money."

"Don't we all," she responded, tapping her stiletto on the tile absentmindedly. "I'll show you to Sam's office." Sookie smiled as Amelia led her towards the back. Amelia had told her earlier that meeting with Sam, one of the managers, was basically a formality and that she pretty much had the job. When they approached an unmarked door, Amelia knocked tentatively. A few moments later, a big man (who Sookie was pretty sure was a Were) opened the door for them. Amelia led the way, and both women were greeted by a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. Sookie picked up that he was a shifter.

"Good evening. I'm Sam Merlotte, manager of this fine establishment. And you must be Sookie Stackhouse. Amelia, my dear, your description barely did her justice." Could this guy be any more full of himself? Sookie couldn't help but admit to herself that he was kind of attractive, but his hubris was extremely off-putting. He extended a hand to Sookie, which she accepted. Amelia started to back out of the room, she had to be on stage in a couple of minutes.

Sookie watched her roommate leave the room before turning back to Mr. Merlotte, who was still holding her hand. She pulled away from him gently and Sam stepped back to lean against his desk. "You can start tonight, right?" Sookie nodded. "Great. I'll just have to get you some different shoes. Follow me." Sookie complied and followed, looking down at her black flip-flops periodically. Sam was right, she needed a different pair of shoes, but it wasn't like she owned anything like what the girls here wore. How many times in a girl's life would she need a pair of clear-heeled, platform stilettos? Amelia had offered her a pair of hers, but they didn't fit. As Sam lead her into what was apparently the dressing room area, Sookie tried to get a mental map of the place. Looking around the dressing room area, she saw a couple of chairs in front of a long vanity table, which was covered in a variety of makeup and hair products. There was a thick, black curtain towards the back, which they were currently walking toward. Once behind the curtain, Sookie saw racks of costumes and shelves full of shoes.

"All the pairs on the top shelf are standard wear. They're all brand new. Find your size and they're all yours," Sam said before leaving. Sookie barely had time to mutter 'thanks' before she was left alone with the wall of shoes. After finding a small stepladder, she had found a pair in her size. She exited out into the vanity area, found a plush chair to sit on, and opened her shoebox. Sookie stifled a giggle when she discovered that they were exactly the clear-heeled, platform stilettos she had been thinking about earlier. She strapped them onto her feet and stood up, wobbling a bit. Sookie heard giggling and looked up to see Amelia sliding on a robe, post-performance.

"You ok there?" Amelia managed to ask through her giggles.

"Yeah, I'm fine. They're just kind of…high." _Slutty_ was the word that she wanted to use, but she didn't think that would go over well. Plus, who was she to judge. She worked here now, too. Granted she wasn't stripping, but still. Sookie knew that there was a stigma associated with girls who worked in these types of places, no matter what their job, and she didn't want to contribute to it by using such words.

"Meh. You get used to it," Amelia responded. "Now were just about to get ready for the introduction show for tonight, so you can meet the rest of the girls before you hit the floor."

As if on cue, four girls came into the dressing room. After they introduced themselves, Sookie was pretty sure she had names with faces. She knew that this was a gentlemen's club that catered to gentlemen of all persuasions-- human and Supe alike. So it seemed only natural that they had strippers of all persuasions, right? There was Crystal, who she gathered was a Were of some form or another. She was a pretty girl, and Sookie was pretty sure that she'd seen her with her brother, Jason, before. Jason was somewhat of a ladies man. The next girl was another one that Sookie recognized, for the same reason. Her name was Cassidy, and she was a shifter. Dawn and Arlene were both human, except Dawn was a stripper and Arlene was a waitress. The last girl in the group was also a waitress, her name was Dahlia. She was also human, but upon further probing, Sookie discovered that she was a telepath, like herself. Sookie was chatting with the girls while they got ready-- she had found out that the waitresses had just come back to meet the new girl, so they quickly left after introductions. She had also found out that there was one stripper that she hadn't met yet. Her name was Pam, she was vampire, and she _always_ showed up late. Sookie remembered Amelia mentioning that she fashioned herself as some sort of Prima Dona of the exotic dancing world, and she had some sort of connection to the owner of the club. Amelia said that all the other girls speculated that they were fuck buddies, and that was why she got preferential treatment and could show up whenever.

After a few more minutes of talking, Sam appeared to give the one minute warning. Sookie took that as a warning for herself as well, so she headed out to the bar/waitress station to find Arlene and Dahlia. She was kind of happy that she blended in with them, as they were both wearing short, black dresses and the same shoes. The only major difference between them is that while Sookie was blonde, both the other girls were redheads-- Dahlia natural and Arlene…well, not. After they showed Sookie where everything was in the two areas, she was pretty much left to her own devices. She was ok with that, though-- she preferred solidarity anyway. Sookie scanned the floor. It was pretty empty, but it was still pretty early. During her scan of the floor, she noticed a table made of a dark wood. It was in the back of the club, but it was directly across from the stage. It stood out for two reasons: one, the rest of the tables were made of some kind of material that looked like metal; and two, there was a large, high back chair behind it, with two curved, plush bench seats attached, one on each side.

As Dahlia came back to the bar, she noticed Sookie staring. "That's the owner's table," she pointed out.

Sookie raised an eyebrow, "The owner? Does he come in often?"

"Pretty much every night. At least every night Pam is working," Dahlia scoffed. Sookie didn't have to be telepathic to tell that Dahlia had some ill-feelings towards Pam and her alleged relationship with the owner. She wondered what all the fuss was about. He couldn't be that fantastic, could he? After all, he did own a strip club. There it was again, that stigmatization of the industry. _What the hell, Stackhouse? Since when do you judge people without knowing them?_ She scolded herself-- she was usually the judgee and not the judger, so she knew how it felt.

"Well she's working tonight, isn't she? Maybe I'll get a chance to meet him," Sookie said, continuing the conversation.

"Don't count on it," was all that Dahlia said before picking up her tray and going to check on one of her tables. Sookie shrugged and looked around again. She noticed that the tables were starting to fill up. As she picked up her tray, the lights dimmed. As the applause from the small crowd subsided, a voice came over the loud speaker.

"Good evening, and welcome to Fangtasia. Sam Merlotte here, your resident manager and resident DJ." Sookie suppressed another giggle. So Mr. Manager was also Mr. DJ? How…jack-of-all-trades of him. "For tonight's first performance, we have the Fangtasia-traditional Dollhouse Dance, featuring all our lovely ladies." Sam put the microphone down, and the speakers were flooded with music. Music that Sookie could only describe as the kind used in bad 70s porno movies. After taking a drink order, she looked up at the stage to see the girls starting to parade out in racy 70s style costumes as their names were called. Amelia shot her a little wave during her walk, and then Sookie turned to the bar to fill her order.

The bar wasn't the type that you could sit at, so it basically looked like one of those islands that people sometimes have in their kitchens. There were no seats of any kind around it, and it was surrounded by various types of liquor and accoutrements-- save for a few spaces where some one could fit in order to make drinks. There was also a wall stocked with liquor and synthetic blood, so you could still have the whole top shelf/bottom shelf delineation. The whole area itself was surrounded by a fence-like barrier. It was made out of the same metal-looking material as the table tops and it had a lockable swinging door for the waitresses to use. Sookie had just finished assembling her last rum and coke for her table when she heard something over the P.A. system that got her attention.

"And last, but certainly not least-- the pride of Fangtasia-- Pam!" Sookie had just put her table's drinks down as the announcement finished. No wonder this chick had a big head. She was back at the bar with Arlene and Dahlia when Pam appeared from behind the curtains. She was wearing an extremely low-cut, maroon, bell-sleeved dress, that was intentionally cropped short so part of her gold hot pants were visible. Sookie was stunned-- she looked like fucking Disco Barbie. Sookie was as straight as an arrow, but she thought the owner had to be either blind or gay not to favor, let alone notice, her. She suddenly understood the animosity among the rest of the girls.

"So that's Pam," Sookie stated, placing her tray on the bar. Dahlia just nodded and walked away. Arlene, who had drinks to make, stuck around.

"Yeah. All the other girls think that she's screwing Eric, but I _swear_ she bats for the other team."

Sookie laughed, "I could actually see that. Maybe she's bi. Wait, who's Eric?"

"Eric Northman, the owner."

"Oh, I didn't know his name. Dahlia said something about him being here on some nights?"

"Yeah, he's usually in when Pam works. I have no clue why though…maybe she is bi."

"It's entirely possible since your sure that she's gay, and everyone else thinks she's sleeping with the boss," Sookie pondered.

"Hmm…I don't know why we haven't seen him yet." Arlene shrugged and took her drinks to her customers. The next hour or so went pretty smoothly, and Sookie was actually starting to enjoy her job. The girls were nice, except she still hadn't formally met Pam, and Dahlia was still carrying some kind of chip on her shoulder. And you would think that a telepath wouldn't want to work in such an environment. But, since most of the clientele were Supes, Sookie could deal with the occasional inappropriate thought from the human customers. Besides, most of those thoughts weren't directed at her, but at the dancers.

It was around 10pm when Sookie saw someone sit down at one of the closer tables, so she started to head over that way. That table could have been only five feet away and her shoes still wouldn't have cooperated with her. Sookie wobbled first, like she had after putting them on, but she thought she caught herself. She tried to take another step, but those shoes would have none of it, and she tripped, unable to recover a second time. She took a moment to look at the ceiling, which she noticed was quite ornate, while she prepped herself for impact with the floor. However, she landed comfortably-- and unexpectedly-- in someone's arms. Sookie was set on her feet, where she turned around to thank whoever caught her.

"Thank you…"

"Eric," he offered. It took a second before Sookie registered who he was.

"So you're the owner," was what so eloquently came out of her mouth.

He gave a small laugh, "Yes, I am. And it's not too often we get female customers in here, so I'm assuming you're a new waitress?"

"Yes I am." Oh God, where were her manners? This was her boss and all she could get out were short sentences.

Eric couldn't help but smile at the petite blonde, "And your name would be?"

"Oh, yeah…I'm Sookie Stackhouse." Sookie smiled at him, trying to regain some semblance of a first impression with her boss.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Stackhouse. I'm glad I could save you from hurting that pretty little head of yours." And with that, he walked off to his table, leaving Sookie standing there with her mouth wide open. She then caught sight of Dahlia, whose mouth was equally agape at their exchange, and she quickly closed her mouth and scurried off to the table she was attempting to wait on in the first place. She continued to wait on her tables for the rest of the night, pushing thoughts of the undeniably attractive Mr. Northman out of her head for fear of tripping all over again. On the other hand, if he was around to catch her, tripping might not be so bad.

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**So, there's chapter one. I'm kinda proud of it. I'm glad I got to bring out some more of Dahlia's bitchy streak and I am THRILLED to be writing a Sookie story. Please let me know what you think. All comments, questions, suggestions, etc. are welcome. They give me the warm fuzzies :)**

**Love ya'll  
-Sydney**


	2. Indiscretions

**Stiletto.**

**A/N: Hello everyone! Let me first start off by saying, Holy Crap! I'm pretty sure that I had a mild heart attack when I opened my email this morning. I am super excited about the reception that this story is getting after one chapter. I seriously love all you guys. And my internet is being retarded, so I'd like to give a shout-out to my lovely reviewers for this chapter. So, VampFan4, VampSexual, vmp1, Silver Moon Goddess1, uvgottobekidding, and tropicalsorbet: Thanks for your awesome reviews and for all of your support. I appreciate it immensely and once again, I love you guys! This update is dedicated to you guys.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Two- Indiscretions**

Sookie took about five steps into her apartment before flopping onto the couch. She dropped her bag, which held the obnoxiously high heels, and kicked off her flip flops. Amelia joined her shortly  
after, bearing two cups of coffee. "So, interesting first night, huh?" pondered Sookie.

Amelia laughed, "Yeah, I heard about your…uh, graceful first meeting with the boss man. Everyone did."

"Really? It wasn't that big of a deal," Sookie ran a hand through her hair.

"Dahlia would have everyone thinking differently."

"Why?"

"That girl is seriously hard up for Eric. I have no clue why, he doesn't seem to give anyone but Pam the time of day. Well, except you now."

"What the hell, Ame. He just caught me so I didn't split my head wide open."

"That may be so, but you can't deny that he's gorgeous." Sookie was unresponsive, so Amelia stared her down.

"Fine! Fine, he is…kind of attractive."

Amelia stood up, "You just keep living in denial of his hotness. I'm going to bed."

Sookie shook her head and got up to put her coffee cup in the sink. She clicked off the living room lamp, and headed to her bedroom.

---

Around 6'oclock the following night, both Sookie and Amelia were running around the apartment. Both girls were in the early stages of getting ready for the night. They met in the hallway. "Is there any bylaw that says that I have to wear a black dress?" Sookie asked Amelia.

"Not that I'm aware of. I've seen the other girls wear colors. I don't think they really care, as long as it's sexy."

Sookie nodded, and the two girls crossed each other-- Sookie to her room and Amelia to the bathroom. Once in her room, Sookie made a beeline for her closet. She wasn't sure why she wanted to stand out, but she was pretty sure that it had something to do with a certain blonde vampire boss of hers.

_Wait, what the hell, Stackhouse? You just said it-- he's your boss. You sooo can't go there_, she thought.

_But he's so good-looking. He looks like a Viking for the love of God_, argued the libidinous part of her brain. This was the part that was in control when she pulled the low-cut, red dress out of her closet and put it on.

_And it's not even like he's interested. He's got Pam…and potentially Dahlia. All he did was keep you front hitting your head_, the rational part chimed in.

_But he saved your 'pretty little head'_, the libidinous side argued. _And if you don't care so much, what's with the dress?_

_I happen to like this dress, thank you very much. It has nothing to do with Eric._

Her mental conversation was interrupted by her roommate. "Hey. Ready to go?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah." She picked up her purse and her shoe bag, and they were out the door.

---

The house lights were on when they entered Fangtasia. Sookie bid Amelia goodbye as she scampered into the dressing room. Sookie looked around and saw Arlene refilling the napkin holders on the tables. While she was putting her purse and shoe bag in the cabinet behind the bar, Arlene walked over. "Hey Sookie-- oh, nice dress."

"Thanks."

"What did I come over to tell you…" she tapped her chin. "Oh yeah! Eric said to send you back to his office for a formal introductory meeting, since your meeting last night was…less than formal."

"Jesus, does everyone know about that."

"Pretty much. You have Dahlia to thank for that. Which reminds me, I thought I saw that girl around here. She's supposed to be working."

"Bathroom, maybe?" Sookie shrugged and headed to the back. She understood that Eric's office was right next to Sam's. She was sure the protocol was to knock first, but from her vantage point at the end of the hall, she could see that the door was open. As Sookie rounded the corner into Eric's office, she became mildly disturbed at the fact that it was open. In front of God and everybody who happened to walk into that open door was Dahlia, straddled across Eric's lap, the two of them engaged in some rather not-open-door activities.

"Oh shit, sorry," she blurted, backing out of the door, closing it behind her. _Well that was something I certainly didn't need to see_, she thought as she made her way out of the back hallway. Whatever inkling she had that Eric might have been interested in her was just completely wiped out by the display she just witnessed. She had just made it to the end of the long hallway when someone blew by her, knocking her off balance. Sookie then felt a hand wrap around her forearm and hoist her back up.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," joked a disheveled Eric. Sookie jerked away from him.

"Sorry that I interrupted…whatever that was," she apologized before starting to walk out again. She was prevented from doing so by a hand on her wrist.

"We have a meeting, don't we?" Eric asked, releasing her and walking back to his office. Sookie stood there for a minute, dumbfounded, before she followed him.

---

Dahlia had finished straightening herself out by the time she got back to the waitress area. "So nice of you to join us," Arlene commented when she saw Dahlia at the bar. Dahlia shot her an acidic look and went to finish prepping the tables.

Twenty minutes later, the house lights were down and the ambience lights were on. The earlier crowd was starting file in, Crystal was dancing, and the rest of the girls (including, surprisingly enough, Pam) were walking around and playing hostess. Dahlia had avoided Arlene by waiting on the few tables that were occupied, but she was forced to come back to the bar to fill her orders. She couldn't help but blurt out, "What the hell is taking Sookie so long?"

Arlene just looked at her. "She has a meeting with Eric, unlike whatever the hell it was you were doing back there." Dahlia opened her mouth to say something, but Arlene cut her off, "I know that you were back there with him. I just hope that Pam doesn't find out."

"You wouldn't."

"I won't." Dahlia let out a visible sigh of relief. "But you might wanna go fix yourself in the bathroom. Pam's blonde, but she not stupid." Dahlia scooted off to the ladies' room as fast as humanly possible. Arlene just chuckled, smiled at Pam because she was looking in their direction, and went to check on Dahlia's tables.

---

Sookie seated herself in one of the black leather chairs in front of his desk. Eric sat down in his high-backed office chair, as if completely oblivious to the fact that he was just with Dahlia in that same chair. "So um, what did you want to see me about?" she asked, severely hoping it wasn't what he apparently wanted to see Dahlia about. Well, maybe not…just a little bit.

"Is everything here to your liking so far, Sookie?"

_With the exception of me just having walked in on my boss giving it to one of my co-workers_, "Yeah, everything is great."

"Excellent. I wouldn't want any of my girls to be unhappy." _So that explains the benefits package?_

"Nope, I am perfectly happy. So if that's it then I'll--" Sookie couldn't finished her sentence as Eric was around the desk and directly in front of her in seconds. She could, however, stand up.

"Are you really, perfectly, _happy_?" He asked, and Sookie couldn't mistake the way he purred the word 'happy'. That libidinous side of her was desperately trying to take over, but the rational side kept it in check. After a few minutes of mental warfare, she managed to move away from him and to the door.

"Yes, I am. Just remember to close your door next time," she flashed him a sneaky smile and left his office. Eric leaned against his desk and shook his head. This Sookie Stackhouse girl was different than the other girls that worked for him, Dahlia and Pam included. He decided that he was going to have to give Sam a bonus for hiring this one.

---

Sookie made a pit stop in the back bathroom before heading out to the floor. She needed a minute to collect herself. After about fifteen more minutes, Sookie emerged from the bathroom and headed over to the waitress area, where she saw Arlene. She also spotted Dahlia, who still looked pretty out of sorts, walking towards one of the front bathrooms. Walking up to the bar, she greeted Arlene, "Hey. Dahlia going to the bathroom again?" She was attempting to sound nonchalant.

Arlene looked confused for a moment, but quickly shook it off, "Oh, uh, yeah…but didn't you--"

"Yeah I did," Sookie grimaced, "but I wasn't sure if you knew or not."

"Well she was kind of obvious about it. The funny thing though, is that she thought she looked put-together when she walked out from the back hallway," Arlene snorted and walked away as Dahlia came back.

"Way to go, bitch," Dahlia spat.

"Honestly, Dahlia, I don't have time for this," Sookie replied, walking away. She took the orders of two tables and returned to the bar.

"He'll probably never want to see me again, and it's all your fault," she hissed.

"If all it took was me mistakenly walking in on you guys, then it probably didn't mean much to him. And I've got news for you: You're not seeing each other. You're fucking in his office!" Sookie countered, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. She picked up her tray and went to wait on her tables. Sookie got about three steps when she heard something hit the floor, followed by a sharp pain at the back of her head. Dahlia had thrown her own tray on the ground, grabbed a fistful of Sookie's blonde hair, and yanked. She started to struggle, but was forced to give up when her heels betrayed her once again.

Once Sookie managed to right herself, she made to lunge at Dahlia, but was promptly grabbed around the middle and subdued by Alcide, one of the bouncers. Dahlia was being held back by Sam. "Now are you ladies going to calm down, or do we have to take you back to Mr. Northman?" someone asked; Sookie was pretty sure it was Alcide.

_Why don't you just do it? That's what Dahlia would want anyway. _Sookie bit down and resisted the urge to vocalize that thought. She really didn't want to out their tryst or whatever, she just wanted to get the bitch back for pulling her hair and being angry for something that didn't even happen. Sookie relaxed her body in a sign of surrender, and Alcide let her go. Sam let Dahlia go as well, but instructed her to go stand up front and play hostess for the rest of the night. On his way back to the DJ booth, Sam shot Sookie a sideways smile. Alcide did the same before heading back to his post at the side of the stage.

Sookie blinked, shrugged, and turned to Arlene, who had watched the whole exchange from one of her tables. "Oh, I am so glad I am not you right now," she commented, walking over. "The guy at the table I was at wanted me to give this to you," she said, handing her a couple of one-dollar bills.

"What is this, some kind of girl fight tip?" Sookie asked. Arlene shrugged and nodded. "And what do you mean you're glad you aren't me?"

"All I'm saying is you better hope that her pull with Eric isn't what she thinks it is, otherwise your days here might be numbered." Arlene grabbed a couple of bottles of TruBlood, heated them, and took them to a table full of vamps. Sookie tucked the money into her purse, and then turned around to lean against the bar. She wasn't really worried about Dahlia. She knew for a fact that her pull with Eric wasn't what she thought it was, and judging by the smiles she had just received from Sam and Alcide, she guessed that Dahlia didn't have much of a pull with anyone here.

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**And there's chapter two. So much catty behavior, I love getting to play the bitch on a multi-person level. In this chapter, I was kind of skeptical of the way I was working with Sookie's initial impression of Eric. I def. don't want it to feel forced. But hell, would any warm-blooded female be able to resist six and a half feet of hot, blonde, Viking? But in saying that, I'm also really excited to get to write snaky, conniving Eric. So yays all around. And once again, I love getting love from the readers. It's an addiction, like crack. Love ya'll!**

**Addendum to the concluding Author's Note: I am seriously sorry about the delay in updating with this chapter. I was all set to post it at 10am today, but something decided to malfunction during the posting process (I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but whatev). I have copy and pasted this chapter like 7 times, and I even emailed it to myself in an attempt to try and post it from my desktop PC (I mostly operate from my laptop). None of those methods worked. So like an hour ago, I decided to try this method of putting it in one of my already-posted documents, so that is what I did. So I copy and pasted it an eighth time, which meant I had to do some reformatting, but luckily last week's episode of True Blood happens to be on right now, so I was somehow given strength to finish what I started at 10 this morning. And all because I love you guys. And I love hearing from you guys. Seriously, seeing everyone's interest in this little story of mine makes me extremely happy. So here is this chapter, and hopefully by the time the next update time rolls around (a couple of days from now), the glitch or whatever will be fixed. Either way, I will get you guys a chapter update, come hell or high water. So I apologise for any formatting issues, the editing job I did wasn't as thorough as it ususally is. Thanks for bearing with me :)**

**-Sydney**


	3. Coffee Break

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: Hello everyone! You guys continue to blow me away with your support. I sincerely appreciate it. Anywho, I'd like to use this space to address a couple of questions and concerns. For anyone who is wondering, yes, Eric is a vampire. He falls under that 'everyone in this story maintains their supernatural affiliation' clause I included back in chapter one's author's note. Also, I've discovered a bit of animosity towards Dahlia. Just a word to anyone who's read Drawn, this Dahlia's anti-Sookie mentality is separate from anything she thinks in the Drawn universe. Just clearing that up in case anyone was curious. This Dahlia's bitchy personality, however is congruent to her personality in Drawn, she just chooses to tone it down in that story. All in all, she's a pretty laid back person until she's confronted with a problem (i.e. Sookie in Stiletto). Oh, and I've also taken some things into consideration and will be adding some of them in the future.**

**Thanks and Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Three- Coffee Break**

They had all pretty much finished closing for the evening when Sookie went to the back bathroom in an attempt to get the smell of bleach off of her hands. The bathroom at the back of the club had one entrance, which lead to the communal washroom. From that communal washroom there were two doors, one to the men's room and one to the ladies'. Sookie washed her hands about three times before determining that she did the best that she could about the bleach, and reached for a paper towel. She tossed the paper towel she had used toward the trashcan. She missed. Sookie walked over to the crumpled up wad of paper, and bent down to retrieve it.

"That's some view," came a smooth voice from the other side of the doorless frame that was the entrance to both bathrooms. Sookie popped up quickly, placing the paper towel in the can, finally. She spun around to see Eric leaned against the wall, across from the doorway.

---

Eric had just been leaving his office when he spotted Miss Stackhouse bent over by the bathroom entrance. It was just to good an opportunity to pass up. He had already decided that he was going to approach the little blonde after closing, but he was actually glad he found her by herself. No, it was nothing perverse like that. He had simply caught word of her little girl fight with Dahlia from Merlotte.

He was sad that he had missed it. There was nothing quite like a catfight.

Eric knew that he enjoyed Dahlia immensely, and was pretty sure he didn't want to give that little arrangement up so quickly, so he'd have to ply her with a gift or dinner, or something for throwing her out of his office so abruptly. There was just something intriguing about Sookie, and he had to talk to her right then, even if it wasn't an intense conversation. And if that meant throwing the feisty little redhead out mid-coitus, then so be it. Maybe it was a blonde thing. He smiled, thinking of Pam. He knew he'd have to take her out as well, to appease her. These women were pretty easy to manage if you had the necessary…means. After enjoying the sight of the Stackhouse girl bent over for a couple of seconds, he made his presence known. She jumped at his voice, then turned to face him.

"I didn't think anyone would be back here," she stated plainly.

"You do know my office is right over there, right?" he asked, jerking a thumb to indicate the door about two down from the one that was currently between them. He took a moment, then laughed to himself, "What am I saying? You know exactly where my office is." He smiled as he watched her shudder at the reminder of her intrusion on his quickie earlier.

"I said I was sorry about that," Sookie offered.

"No matter. I was done anyway," Eric replied, brushing it off with a smirk. Sookie rolled her eyes, exiting the bathroom. She was almost at the end of the hall, when she heard Eric call her. She turned back around.

"What?"

"I wanted to let you know that I was on my way to find you when I spotted you…"_…on your knees…_"…in the bathroom."

"Ok…and here I am." Sookie was unsure of what was going on.

Eric smiled, "That you are. Would you be interested in grabbing a post-work cup of coffee?"

"As a matter of fact that's where I was heading after I washed my hands." She started for the end of the hall once more. Once again, Eric stopped her.

"I meant with me."

"I know you did." She smirked at him. He thought it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen her do with her lips. Well, perhaps the second sexiest…but that was only in his mind.

"So do you want to?" he asked. Sookie looked at him for a moment. That was perhaps the most loaded question he could have asked her. She decided she'd just stick with the coffee possibility.

"Sure. Why not?" Sookie figured that there was no harm in getting coffee with him. Besides, he wouldn't even be getting coffee himself. She knew there was no sense in over-analyzing a freaking cup of coffee at the present moment.

"Ok, I'll meet you out front." Sookie tilted her head. "I heard about your confrontation with Dahlia earlier," he smiled at her. She shrugged and walked out ahead of him to go and find Amelia.

---

By the time she returned to the main floor, she noticed that both Dahlia and Arlene had already left. She poked her head into the dressing room area, where she found Pam and Amelia. Amelia was brushing out a wig she'd used in a performance, and Pam looked up at Sookie. She stood up from where she was sitting at the vanity and walked toward the door.

Sookie acknowledged the other blonde, "Hi. I don't believe we've met-- I'm Sookie."

A smile spread across the taller blonde's face. "Charmed," she purred before heading out of the dressing room. Sookie watched her walk out before turning her gaze on Amelia.

"Um…I'm kind of going with Eric for coffee in a few. Are you ok to walk home by yourself?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Wait…with Eric?"

"Uh huh." Sookie couldn't help but blush a little bit. She had no clue why she was blushing at all, she assured herself that it was just a friendly cup of coffee-- _a meeting continuation, if you will. Ok, so maybe that was a lie._ She knew exactly why she was blushing. _Stupid Viking-looking vampire_.

Amelia got up and the two girls headed to the employee entrance, turning the lights off in the dressing room. They were outside in enough time to catch another one of the bouncers, Tray Dawson, and he offered Amelia a ride home. Sookie was about ninety percent sure that the ride wouldn't end at their apartment. She smiled to herself. Even though Tray was a Were, she was happy that her friend could enjoy a relatively normal dating life. Being able to hear all the disgusting things your date wanted to do with you was mildly off-putting to say the least. Besides, most guys in Bon Temps knew her as 'crazy Sookie'. Being in Shreveport was a little better, and she had been on a couple of dates, but it was always the same routine. Sookie was lost in thought about some of her past dates when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was all set to spin around and pepper spray whoever was touching her, until he spoke.

"Relax, Sookie. It's just me." She looked up to meet a pair of blue eyes. Eric.

"You could have made your presence a little better known. I was just about to mace your ass," she scolded.

Eric laughed. _Like mace would even work_. He would just let her think what she wanted. "Sorry. So how about that coffee? There's a 24-hour Denny's up the road."

Sookie couldn't help but smile at the fact that this big, intimidating-looking vampire was suggesting a Denny's. "Lead the way, sir." Eric offered Sookie his arm. She was reluctant to take it at first, but did anyway. And what a nice arm it was! Sookie's libidinous side was creeping up again. As they were walking to Denny's, Sookie was starting to think that Amelia was right and she should just go on and swipe her V-card. Especially if just holding her boss's arm was starting her up. She resolved to blame it on Eric and his arm. _His big, strong, muscular arm…Damn it, Sookie!_ She wracked her brain for something to say-- anything to say.

"Isn't sitting and watching me drink coffee going to be boring?" she asked. _Good…that was a nice, tame sentence. Nothing wrong with that_.

"Watching you could never be boring." _Well, shit. So much for that plan_, she thought, stumbling a little from his words. She was thankful that Eric didn't notice. If he did, he just wasn't letting on. "Besides, this Denny's stocks TruBlood."

"Oh." It wasn't much longer until they were standing in front of the aforementioned Denny's. It was one of those diner-style ones, the cute ones that looked like something out of Grease. Eric walked behind her as Sookie walked up the little ramp to the door. She nearly giggled when the little bell on the door jingled as she opened it. Sookie was the first to approach the hostess podium. The waitress that approached it was a girl of about eighteen maybe, with dyed black hair and red lipstick. Anyone could tell that she was excited at the prospect of seating a vampire. So much so, she fumbled with the menus and almost tripped on the way to the table. Sookie suppressed another giggle, and looked at Eric. She could tell that he was used to that kind of thing.

Once they got to the table, Eric sat on one side of the booth. He wanted to see how Sookie would handle the seating situation. She slid into the booth on the opposite side. He wasn't really all that surprised, considering he could tell that she was getting worked up just from the slightest bit of contact on the walk over to the restaurant. Eric watched her as she studied the menu, which he figured was an attempt not to make eye contact with him. "Are you hungry?" he asked, breaking the silence hanging between them.

Sookie looked up at him, "Me? Well…kind of, I guess."

"Then order something."

"No, I can't. I mean…it would be rude."

"Don't worry about that. If you are hungry, order something." To Sookie, it sounded more like an order than a request. Thus, when the waitress came back around to deliver Sookie's coffee and Eric's TruBlood, she ordered a Grand Slam. When the waitress returned, Sookie caught some envious thoughts from the small wannabe fangbanger. She had also gathered that she had spit in the eggs. Taking that into consideration, she waited until the girl walked away, pushed the eggs to the side, and started on her pancakes. Sookie rolled her eyes. It's not even like she was dating Eric. _Wait, is this a date?_ she wondered. She decided to make like Scarlet and worry about it later.

"What's with the eggs?" Eric asked.

"The waitress spit in them," Sookie replied, as casual as anything.

"How do you know that?" he stared at her incredulously.

"I uh, am a telepath."

"Like Dahlia?" Sookie was a bit surprised that he knew.

"Yeah I guess."

Eric smiled at the thought of the redhead. His smiled bigger at the prospect of having two telepaths under his employment. "So I am to assume that you can't read vampire minds then either?" Sookie nodded.

"Yeah. So that's how I know she spit in my eggs. She's extremely jealous that I'm here with you. She also wants you to, and I quote, 'fuck her brains out'," she finished, using air quotes to emphasize her point. Eric actually laughed out loud at that. At the sound of his laugh, Sookie relaxed a little. She was pretty sure she had successfully diffused the situation and that Eric wasn't going to hurt her because of her gift.

When the waitress came back around to drop of the check, both Sookie and Eric could tell that she was pissed because Sookie didn't eat the tainted eggs. All either of them could do was laugh as she slammed the check down and stormed off. Sookie reached into her purse to get money to pay for her food. When she looked back up, she saw Eric at the cashier's counter, paying. _Great, he's paying-- he definitely thinks this is a date_, she sighed to herself as she gathered her purse and her shoe bag. While she waited for Eric to finish paying, she walked outside to wait on the ramp. She really didn't feel like waiting in there and listening to that waitress's thoughts-- both the ones about her, and the lewd ones about Eric. Sookie was having a hard enough time thinking tame thoughts around Eric with out the added stress of this teenage girl's rendition of the Kama Sutra. She didn't even really know why she would even be attracted to a guy like Eric. He was cocky, he was arrogant, and not to mention he was just having sex with another girl like, seven hours ago. A girl that she had to work with…in his office! And in addition to all of that, said girl now had a personal vendetta against her.

_She already hates you…you might as well give her something to hate you about_, libidinous-Sookie decided to make her opinion known. Rational-Sookie managed to successfully put it to bed by the time Eric walked out of the restaurant. "You didn't have to pay you know."

"I know. But what kind of man would I be if I didn't pay when I was the one who asked you out?" Sookie was about to protest the evening's date-status, but Eric flashed her that killer smile of his. She had to spend the next couple minutes walking, while beating her libido back into submission.

"I understand that you live around here." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, I do. I can make it home from here. Thanks for breakfast and I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Let me at least walk you home. I wouldn't want anything to happen to one of my girls." It was the way that he referred to her as 'one of his girls' that made Sookie sure that her libido was done for the night. She then figured that since that was settled, there was no harm in him walking her home. The walk home was silent, and when they got to her apartment, Eric stood at the foot of the stairs. "I can't come in unless you invite me. I'm standing at the bottom of the steps to be polite." Sookie breathed a sigh of relief at the concession of that particular fact.

"Good night, Eric. Err, good morning, I guess." She smiled at him. Eric took her hand and kissed it gently. Then, he was gone. Sookie stood on her doorstep for a couple of moments, then finally went inside. She was going to have so much to tell Amelia when she woke up, and judging from the sounds coming from Amelia's room, she'd have a lot to tell Sookie as well.

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**Chapter three, ladies and gents. Once again, feel free to send questions, comments, otherwise. Thanks for reading, and chapter four is on the way.**

**-Sydney**


	4. Theme Night

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: First of all, I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to all of the awesome people who have alerted, favorited, and/or reviewed either me as an author or this story. I also have some serious love for my repeat reviewers. All of you guys that read this story and write me things keep me going seriously. And because you keep me going, you're getting this chapter early. You're also getting early because next week is going to be pretty hectic as I leave for college on Thursday. I'm hoping to at least pen chapter five, if not post it as well.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Four- Theme Night**

Eric was standing by his car; he had left Sookie at her doorstep but a short twenty minutes ago. He was very confused as to why he stood at the foot of her stairs, and why he conceded the fact that she had to invite him in. He wondered why in the hell would he need, or even want, to be polite to this one. The reason Eric remained standing outside his car was that he was debating whether or not to pay his visit to Dahlia then. He knew that she lived in an apartment complex that was closer to Fangtasia than Sookie's. There were a couple hours left until dawn, and he also knew that she had a light-proofed bedroom. He smiled to himself before heading off in the direction of his redheaded distraction.

---

Sookie was sitting on the couch watching TV when Amelia finally emerged from her room around 2pm. She honestly couldn't blame her though, Sookie had only been up for about an hour herself. That was one of the many perks of having a nighttime job. "Good afternoon, sunshine."

"Hey Sook. When did you get in this morning?"

"I don't know. Maybe around 3ish? You were occupied."

Amelia blushed, "Yeah, about that…"

Sookie held her hand up in the universal gesture for 'stop', "Please, no explanation necessary." Both girls started laughing.

"So what about you? Not sleeping with the boss already are you?"

"I'm not. But Dahlia is."

"No shit?"

"I, uh, saw it for myself." Amelia looked at her sideways. "I kind of accidentally walked in on them at work."

"In his office?"

"Uh huh."

"Dahlia is one classy girl," Amelia responded sarcastically. "So that's what the catfight was about?" Sookie nodded.

"Yup. She tried to pick a fight with me because Eric threw her out right in the middle in favor of the meeting I was supposed to have with him. Well, maybe it was more towards the end of their ordeal, as he so eloquently pointed out."

"Nice. And you still went out with him for coffee."

"It was not _going out_. I'd like to think of it as a continuation of the initial meeting. Plus, he paid. Oh, and some vamp at the club tipped me four dollars for the Dahlia-catfight."

"So it was a good night then?"

"A very good night, I'd say."

"But you didn't sleep with him."

"No, I didn't. I'm not Dahlia. Besides, he's kind of cocky."

"That's not surprising. He's banging two of the girls that work for him."

"Do you think that either of them know about the other one?"

"Dahlia definitely knows about Pam, because she wears it like a badge of honor. I doubt Pam knows about Dahlia. If she did, you wouldn't have been the one getting tipped for the girl fight."

"Good point."

Amelia nodded, "Any plans for today?"

"Sunbathing. Want to join me?"

"I'd love to, but I'm grabbing a late lunch with Tray." She looked at her watch. "A late lunch that I'm actually late for," Amelia said laughing. She pulled on a jacket, picked up her purse, and was out the door. Sookie stood up and headed back to her room to change into her swimsuit. She loved their little apartment building because they had access to a really nice roof where she could sunbathe. Once she was up on the roof, Sookie set up a chair, put down a down, and slathered on some low SPF sunscreen. She knew it wasn't very good for her, but sunbathing was pretty much her only hobby. She cracked open her book and within thirty minutes, she was asleep.

---

Sookie awoke to Amelia tapping her on the shoulder. The tapping gradually turned to gentle shaking when it took Sookie a minute to actually open her eyes. "Hey. What time is it?" she asked.

"It's about 4:30, but I didn't want to leave you out here to roast."

"Thanks." Sookie stood up and gathered her sunbathing things. The two girls left the roof and went back down to their apartment. Amelia started to head to her room, but turned around when she remembered something.

"Oh, hey, we got a shipment of costumes that we had ordered yesterday and we all thought it would be fun if we used them and had a theme night tonight. I can't tell you any details because we were afraid you'd call in sick or something. I'm only telling you now so you don't stress yourself over getting ready. But it's going to be _awesome_."

Sookie kind of just looked at her roommate. "You're serious."

"Absolutely. We asked Sam and everything."

"Alright. Maybe this could actually be kind of fun," Sookie decided.

"Yup. So just do your makeup and put on some street clothes. Do you want to grab food beforehand?" Sookie nodded. They watched a little TV, got ready, and headed out to grab some dinner at a little sandwich place a little walk from their building.

---

There was a soft light on in the room when Eric awoke that night. He pawed at the silky, red sheets for a moment before he remembered where he was. He had only visited Dahlia's apartment once before, and that was on the night of their initial encounter. She kept a simple apartment; Eric deemed it modest enough for a girl who worked as a waitress. Speaking of the waitress, Eric noticed that she was absent from the bed. He was hungry and he knew that Dahlia knew that this particular sleeping arrangement came with a meal plan. If he wasn't so damn hungry, he would have split already. He really had no purpose in staying around after he awoke; it's not like they were going to walk to work together or anything. Eric knew full and well that he regarded Dahlia as nothing more than a feed and fuck, or in this case a feed and fuck-a-certain-blonde-waitress-out-of-his-system. He was pretty sure that Dahlia knew the score, but that she didn't care as long as he was occupying her bed. She definitely had a thing for him, but she seemed happy with the occasion lay rather than nothing at all. He only had to wait a couple of minutes before she wiggled her hot little self back into the room. Apparently, she had already started getting ready for work.

"It's a theme night tonight," she practically squealed before sitting on the side of the bed.

"What's the theme?" Eric genuinely enjoyed the themes that the girls would come up with. That was mostly the reason he allowed them to be approved by Sam rather than him. He considered it a present from his girls.

"It's a surprise," Dahlia responded, pushing him on the knee lightly. "But, it's gonna be fun." She smiled warmly at him. He had to admit, she was quite adorable. It was cute the way she got excited about her job. Dahlia nonchalantly flipped her hair behind her shoulder, exposing the cream-white skin of her neck. That was when Eric remembered why he was still in her apartment-- and bit. While he was feeding from Dahlia, it occurred to him that Miss Stackhouse would be participating in the theme night as well. _Interesting_.

---

"No, absolutely not," Sookie whined as Amelia held up her costume for her.

"But you have to. I snagged the best one for you," Amelia argued. Sookie looked from her friend, back to the costume in her hands. They had barely made it ten steps into the club when she realized the theme: Moulin Rouge. Apparently the bouncers got into this whole theme-thing too, as they had helped decorate the rest of the club. They put red velvet tablecloths over the tables, there were strands of beads and feathers strewn about, and there were ornate chandeliers hanging from hooks that Sookie had just noticed were in the ceiling. She guessed that they did this theme-business often. There was one really large chandelier over the stage, in a Phantom of the Opera kind of fashion. Sookie had to admit that it did look really pretty. Amelia dragged her into the dressing room before she had a chance of thinking about leaving. That was how she ended up in a burlesque costume in front of a full-length mirror.

If Sookie had ever thought of dressing like a Moulin Rouge girl, she was pretty sure that the costume that Amelia was holding would make the top of her list of options. It really was a nice costume. The bodice was corseted, with lacing up the front. The lacing was pretty spaced, so you could see about a two-inch strip of skin down her front. The corset was also creating a crazy amount of cleavage, not that Sookie really needed any additional help in that department. It had a sweetheart neckline that was trimmed in black with rhinestones, and the whole thing was vertically-striped in red and black. The skirt was made of red, crushed velvet-looking material that was gathered up at the sides. There was a black ruffled trim on the bottom, and the back came together in a gathered bunch of red velvet and black ruffles. It was finished off with two black bows, one over the other, in the center of the back of the skirt.

"All the dancers are coordinating in blue, and the waitresses are coordinating in red," Dawn added, tossing her a pair of striped thigh-highs. Sookie pulled on a black garter belt over her black silky panties, clipping the stockings to it. The girls skipped the clear heels in favor of black high-heeled Mary Janes. Sookie was happy about the change in footwear; she felt a whole hell of a lot more stable in the MJ's. She sat down while the rest of the girls got ready. Amelia was right, her costume did outshine both Arlene and Dahlia's. Sookie wondered if this was Amelia's subtle attempt to try and have her one-up Dahlia in front of Eric. At that point, she really didn't care-- she was starting to love the way she looked in her costume along with accompanying confidence boost. Amelia was pinning a couple feathers in Sookie's hair while Dahlia was getting ready. She sensed the mean vibe Dahlia was emitting at the sight of her costume, so she tried to block her thoughts out as best as she could. She did pick up the occasional _bitch_, however. Once the three waitresses were all finished, they made their way out to the floor to start the evening.

---

Eric had left Dahlia's apartment as soon as he had gotten his fill of her. Once he arrived at Fangtasia, he went straight to his office-- he felt like being surprised with tonight's theme. He bided his time by going over revenue reports and other things that required his attention, and he was soundly occupied up until he heard a knock on his door about two hours later. Eric called out a signal of entrance and the door opened, Merlotte strolling through it.

"You owe me big time for approving this one, Northman. This might be our best theme night yet," Sam commented, leaning against the door frame. "The waitresses are on the floor, if you want to come out now. Or I could come back and get you for the Dollhouse Dance?"

"No, no. I'll come out now." Eric was mostly concerned with seeing his two waitresses. He was anxious to see Pam as well, but he knew he'd have to wait for the Dollhouse Dance either way. Might as well take in some pretty sights during the wait. He stood up and walked with Merlotte down the long hallway. When they made it out onto the main floor of the club, it took Eric a minute to realize that Sam was no longer walking beside him. He looked back at his manager, who epitomized the figurative 'deer in the headlights'. Following Sam's line of sight, Eric realized why he had stopped. He also adopted the same deer-look.

Sookie was standing at the bar, apparently engaged in a conversation with Arlene. Eric wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, not that he really gave two shits at that moment, as his eyes were immediately pulled to her outfit. She was standing with one foot kicked back behind her a little bit, so that was where Eric started his scan of her body. First, he looked at the heels that she was wearing, and he thought that they complimented her more than the clear shoes that the rest of the girls wore. Trailing up, his eyes followed the lines of her legs, where he noticed that her stockings were attached to a garter that was deliciously peeking out from under the short, full skirt of the dress. _But, oh, that skirt!_ He was pleased with the way that it was short, but still long enough to be tasteful. Eric continued his gaze up further to her bodice. He didn't think he could be stunned any further by her costume, but he was pleasantly proved wrong. Sookie looked as if she had stuffed herself in that corset-- but in the best possible way. Eric never claimed to know much about ladies' costumes, but he was pretty positive that her corset was perhaps a couple of sizes too small for her ample bosom. The blonde vampire never wanted to hug someone more than he wanted to hug whoever gave her that costume. He, shockingly enough, managed to pull his eyes away from her chest quickly and let his eyes take in her blonde hair; it was done up in some soft curls and complimented by a few black and red feathers. Sookie never once looked his way as he stood there staring like a moron. Eric turned to look at Merlotte, and suddenly wanted to tear his throat out for doing the exact same he was doing. _How very…hypocritical?_ Eric shook his head. He felt someone approaching him as he watched Sam go and check in with the front bouncers.

He turned to the direction he felt the person approaching from. Dahlia. The costume that the curvy redhead was wearing paled in comparison to Sookie's. Dahlia wore a corseted dress as well, and while she was as well-endowed as Sookie, the corset was just more plain. It was solid red and was attached to a black can-can skirt, much shorter than Sookie's. He noticed that Dahlia and Arlene's costumes matched. From where she was standing, Eric noticed that Dahlia was wearing fence-net stockings, and he followed the line of them up to her ass, which was partially visible under the skirt. Although her costume was less detailed than Sookie's, Eric still couldn't deny that Dahlia looked sexy. He looked around the club; the only people on the floor were Merlotte and the bouncers up front (apparently having a meeting), Sookie and Arlene at the bar, and Dahlia and himself. Eric figured there was no harm in interacting with the cute little redhead. He just knew that they'd have to maintain a professional distance.

"You look great," he stated simply. The sentence was followed by a low growl.

Dahlia giggled, "Aren't you glad I kept it a secret?" She did a little spin for Eric. He nodded in agreement, but his gaze kept shifting over to Sookie. Dahlia noticed his waning attention. "Do you want to have a more private viewing in your office?"

Although some instant gratification would certainly help the current situation in his pants, Dahlia wasn't who was occupying his thoughts or controlling his blood flow at the moment. "Maybe later. Why don't you go help welcome some patrons?" Dahlia couldn't really say no to him, and after a playful slap on the butt from Eric, she turned and walked to the front.

---

Arlene and Sookie had gotten the prep work done considerably fast, so they were spending their free time just chatting. Sookie had learned that Arlene had two young children, as well as horrible luck with men. They both gossiped a bit about the Dahlia-Eric situation. Speaking of, neither of them were aware of anyone else in the room until they saw Dahlia walk by. She was on her way to the front, and she looked _pissed_. Sookie knew that she wasn't the source this time, so she took a moment to look for whoever was. That was when she saw Eric. She didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but she could tell by the way his eyes followed Dahlia while she walked up front that he was the cause of her frustration. Additionally, she could tell that from the way Eric's gaze turned to her shortly after, she probably wouldn't be getting off scot-free tonight-- from either party involved.

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**Ok, so here's some things I was thinking about while writing this chapter. **

**-First, I'd just like to mention that I am a fashion major, which is why I ended up going into such detail about the costumes. I plan on doing more Fangtasia "theme nights" in the future, so expect some more of that. Plus I just had too damn much fun looking at costumes online.**

**-Second, while writing this chapter I did some extensive research on stockings and pantyhose, mostly because I love them a lot and I'm a clothes geek. For clarification for anyone who needs it, fence-net is the technical term for those stockings that look like really big fishnets. **

**-Third, while I was writing the first section of this chapter (the Eric part), I had a serious debate with myself whether or not to include some Eric/Dahlia light lemons. So I'd really like to hear some feedback about that for future reference.**

**-Fourth, I made a bunch of references to some of my favorite things in this chapter. The first one was the theme, Moulin Rouge is like my all-time favorite movie. Phantom of the Opera is pretty high on that list as well. I also have an unhealthy addiction to high-heeled Mary Janes.**

**-And Fifth, I've added a link to the inspiration for Sookie's costume in my profile, so if you're interested, you can check that out.**

**All that said, much love, and I shall update as soon as I can!**

**-Sydney**


	5. Why Yes, You Can CanCan

**Stiletto.**

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******A/N: Welcome to chapter five of Stiletto. You have me all to yourselves, pre-college leaving, and at 4am writing this A/N and some of this chapter. Oh, and I made my presence known over at the Sookieverse, and I love it there. So, the show must go on! And yes, the title is a shameless reference to Moulin Rouge the movie, as was the last sentence. And there probably will be some more in the story…what can I say, I love that damn movie. And thanks to VampFan4 for catching the fact that I didn't put the link to Sookie's Moulin Rouge costume in my profile. But it's there now, lol. And I'd like to send big bundles of thanks and love to my first-time and return reviewers once again. Oh, and I put my Paint skills to good use for you guys and drew up a floor plan to Fangtasia the gentlemen's club. It is of course not accurate to scale, but it gives a pretty good idea of what I'm going for with the descriptions.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Five- Why Yes, You Can Can-Can!**

Eric stood and watched Dahlia walk for a minute. He was sure that she was pissed at him, but it was nothing he couldn't either fix later or get over. As she walked past Sookie, he allowed his gaze to shift over to her. He also noticed that Sookie saw Dahlia huff off to the front, then saw him, and had made the connection of their exchange. Eric had to hand it to Sookie, the girl was bright. He let himself get caught watching her, before deciding '_the hell with it'_, and walking over.

"Sookie, a word?" Arlene took a hint and went to help greet the patrons that were slowly filling the club. Once she was gone, Eric continued speaking, "You look absolutely ravishing tonight, my dear." He watched the heat rise in Sookie's cheeks.

"Thanks," she managed to stammer out. Sookie knew that she was blushing, and that was mostly because she was seriously considering letting him ravish her. She knew that he thought that she wasn't paying attention, but she saw him openly ogle her out of the corner of her eye while she had been speaking with Arlene.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," spilled out of her mouth before she realized that she was talking to her boss, and that there were patrons within earshot. Her mind was put at ease when she heard him chuckle softly.

"You're right, but this one is business-related." _Ok, so frank is the name of the game tonight_, Sookie thought as she looked at him for a second.

"So what did you have in mind, sir?" She asked, adding the 'sir' as a customer walked right in front of them. Sookie was pretty sure of a gist of what he might have in mind, but she was supremely glad that she didn't _actually_ know what was up there.

"A lot of things, my dear." He shot her one of his trademark smirks. "But tonight I'd like you to be my table girl." _What the?_ A myriad of different definitions for that term scrolled through her brain. Logic somehow managed to pick the right one, but Sookie was still unsure of the complete job description.

"So I get that I would be your personal waitress, but does this entail anything else?"

"Not really, but I'd like you to spend at least an hour sitting with me though."

"Sounds good." Yeah, the prospect of taking a break that would last 'at least an hour' did sound pretty good.

"Great, your presence is requested right after the Dollhouse Dance." He smiled at her before walking off to his table. Sookie took a couple of orders and made her way back to the bar. Arlene was already there, making martinis.

"What was that all about?"

"Eric wants me to be his table girl tonight."

Arlene just stared at Sookie for a moment. "Wow, he hasn't requested that someone do that other than Pam, and she hasn't done it for quite some time."

"Oh." It was all that Sookie could say. Arlene started to deliver her martinis, when Sookie stopped her. "Do you know what kind of TruBlood he likes?"

"Whatever your type is, hun." She walked off to drop off her drinks and take more orders. Sookie barely had time to process her statement when she heard the static noise of the P.A. system starting up.

"Good evening, and welcome to Fangtasia. As you may have gathered, it's another theme night here, and tonight's theme is Moulin Rouge. So without further ado, tonight's Dollhouse Dance." Sookie looked up at Sam in the DJ booth. Apparently the dancers had talked him into a tuxedo and top hat. He turned a spotlight on the stage, and music began to flow through the speakers.

Sookie couldn't help herself, she laughed out loud when she realized what the song was. The unmistakable beat of the updated 'Lady Marmalade' thumped through the club. Sookie went on and delivered the order she was working on. She took a couple more orders and filled them; she knew that it was only a couple minutes before she'd have to entertain Eric. _But the word 'entertain' makes it sound like a chore. But it's not a chore, Sookie, _and the mental conversation began.

_But it is my job. I'm just doing my job._

_Yes, but going and sitting with him isn't part of the job. You opted for that part._ The little voice that was talking to Sookie's thoughts resembled her conscience. Except instead of trying to put her on the straight and narrow, the voice's path of choice was more wobbly and uncertain. Uncertain and strangely…wonderful-sounding? She thought that maybe her conscience had finally caught up with the rest of her body, joined the fight against whatever was inside her that was holding on to her virginity. That part was looking for someone who simply cared about her, and at that point, she was sure it probably wasn't mister tall, blonde, and emotionally-unattached.

Before she could further contemplate that figurative war, the song had ended. She grabbed her bottle of TruBlood out of the microwave and headed toward Eric's table.

---

Eric was pleasantly amused by the group number this evening. All of the dancers' costumes coordinated, he noticed, and consisted mostly of corsets without skirts and ruffled panties. Eric decided that he _definitely_ need to find whoever was responsible for the costumes. He sat back, smiling, and taking occasional looks at the parade of women. He knew Pam always came out last, which was largely due to the Prima Dona reputation she had fostered for herself. Eric also knew that the vast majority of his staff was under the impression that her "status" was the result of him playing favorites, or sexual favors, or both. He was constantly intrigued by the rumors that Merlotte would catch wind of, and while it was true that they had once been intimate, but that was long since in the past. The nature of their relationship had graduated to more of a playful friendship, or as close to that as their two personalities would possibly allow. That was simply the style of their maker-child dynamic these days. That didn't mean that they both didn't actively do their part to keep the façade up for show. Pam was well-adjusted to her Queen Bee role, and Eric was happy that she was happy.

Eric had become interested in Dahlia shortly after Sam had hired her. He was attracted by her at first sight, after all, she was quite stunning. She had a blatant attitude and she was quite forward in her advances, but he just brushed it off initially. The first theme night she had participated in was a 40s pin-up one. If there was anyone who was born in the wrong decade, it was Dahlia. Having actually lived in the 40s, Eric was fast to realize that this girl oozed the sex appeal of that time. Everything about her was incredibly accurate, from her clothes to her hair. I was informed later that she was the only girl who didn't wear something from the club's costume closet. Eric loved it and knew that he had to have her. This was no difficult task, everyone in the damn club could see that she was smitten, and soon after that he had a guaranteed lay whenever he wanted. It was always the same arrangement, sex and a feeding. His eyes slid over to her at the hostess podium. He was content with that arrangement; she was a good partner, but he didn't feel anything other than that. Their trysts became less frequent, and Dahlia began to leave with guys from the club more frequently, as if to spite Eric. Any hopes of Eric actually caring about her were effectively dashed when Sookie was hired. Sookie was so unlike Dahlia it was almost polar. Dahlia exuded sexuality and Sookie was a breath of fresh air, so to speak. There was a dichotomy between naïve and sexy with Sookie, Eric had noticed, and it was intriguing.

Eric concluded his reminiscing when he realized the song had ended and Sookie would be joining him soon. As if she responded to him thinking about her, she was at the booth almost instantly, a bottle of TruBlood in hand. Eric made a motion for her to sit and accepted the bottled blood. He could have cared less about what type it was-- he didn't even bother to look-- he was just happy that it could stave off his current hunger. Hunger for Sookie. "Thank you," he said as she scooted into the booth.

Sookie smiled at him, "Did you enjoy the group number?" she asked.

"I did very much, but none of their outfits held a candle to yours." He smirked as he watched that lovely shade of pink wash over her features.

"Not even Pam's? Or Dahlia's?"

"Between you and me, I'm not Pam's type." Eric had no clue why he had just dropped the ball on their façade, but he wanted Sookie to know the truth about that particular subject. Sookie just nodded; he wondered if Pam's current orientation was becoming more obvious to the others. He'd have to investigate that later. Right now, he just wanted to focus on the blonde sitting next to him. "And Dahlia…" Speaking of, the redhead strolled over to the table.

"Mr. Northman, Mr. Merlotte wanted me to inform you that there is something that needs your attention in your office." Sookie made an audible gagging sound.

Eric looked at Sookie, said "I'll be right back", and walked toward his office. Sookie was surprised that Dahlia didn't follow.

"Oh, I'm going back there," Dahlia responded to Sookie's thought. "I just wanted to tell you to back off, or it'll be worse than a little hair pulling next time." She got up and walked to the bar to give Arlene some "bathroom" excuse, before scampering to the back.

Sookie rolled her eyes and made to get up when she heard another voice. "Wait a second, Blondie." She turned to see Pam heading toward the table. "What brings you to this table?" Sookie was speechless-- the girl had gone from zero to sixty in the word department.

"Uh…Eric?"

"Of course, dear. Now next question, why is the redheaded slut on your shit?"

"Uh…Eric?"

Pam laughed out loud. "I figured as much. I don't know why she's so uptight, she's the only one fucking him." Sookie's eyes bugged. "What? Don't look surprised, I know Eric told you. And I know what everyone thinks, but God, it's been at least a couple hundred years since we've fucked. Just keep that to yourself."

"Why are you telling me all of this, Pam?"

"I heard about your catfight. When I saw you in the dressing room afterwards, I didn't make the connection. I only wish you could've gotten a hold of her. I'm sure she's bound to come after you again, so do some damage next time, will ya?" Pam walked back to the dressing room.

Sookie turned her head in the direction of the back hall and she realized that she had to use the restroom. She headed down the hall. _At least they had the decency to close the door this time_, she thought as she entered the ladies' side. Sookie took care of business, exiting the ladies' side only to see someone on the other side of the open frame, entering the communal washroom. _What the hell was with this bathroom, anyway?_

Sookie recognized the someone as Alcide, the only time they had ever interacted was when he pulled her away from Dahlia. Upon further appraisal, she noticed that he was quite attractive in a rugged kind of way. Her mind immediately slipped to the smile he had given her after the catfight. "Hey, Alcide," Sookie greeted, utilizing the sink next to him.

He nodded in her direction, not looking up, "Sookie." Alcide finished washing his hands shortly before Sookie. While she dried her hands, Alcide got a chance to look at her. He had front door duty that night, as a result of drawing the short straw at the meeting earlier that night. He had also caught wind of Sookie's little get-up from Quinn, the bouncer who had relieved him so that he could, well, relieve himself. After seeing it in person, Alcide decided that Quinn's description did her no justice whatsoever. He already thought that she was a knockout, but seeing her in her little Can-Can outfit brought a couple of things to life. One of them was the desire to ask her out. Three guesses what the other one was. He pushed the latter aside for the moment. He caught her attention just as she was about to exit the washroom.

"Would you be interested in getting a drink with me after work?" _Might as well just put it all out there._

"Um, sure. But are there even any bars open that late?" Sookie wasn't heavily into the drinking scene, and she was even less familiar with any bars in Shreveport other than the one she worked in.

"Yeah, I was thinking of one a couple of streets over from here."

"Ok, sounds great. I'll meet you out from after closing." She flashed him a hundred-watt smile. Alcide thought it was breathtaking. He stood still a couple moments, watching her leave, before returning to his post through the back door.

---

As Sookie exited the bathroom, she glanced to her left-- Eric's office door was open and the lights were off. She entered the main area and saw Eric sitting back at his booth. "Sorry. Bathroom," she said as she scooted back into the booth.

"Yeah. And sorry…Dahlia." Sookie didn't press the statement-- she didn't really care. Her mind was too busy being occupied with Alcide's newfound active interest, rather than being occupied with a guy who had left her to get blown in his office. She had gathered that much from both Dahlia's mind and her stupid grin.

"Did I miss anything good?" she asked, gesturing toward the stage.

"You missed Amelia. She did 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend'."

"Oh." A couple minutes of awkward silence passed between them. Sookie glanced at her watch and realized that her hour was almost complete. She didn't want to stay any longer, and she didn't care if Eric thought she was skipping out early-- she was including his Dahlia-time as part of the hour. "This was great," _liar!_, "but I really have to get back to work."

"Alright. But at least grant me the privilege of getting another cup of coffee with me tonight."

Was there a more ladylike way to say "fuck no after you left me to have Dahlia suck your cock"? If there was, Sookie wished she knew it. She opted instead for, "Thanks, but I have plans already." He was her boss after all. She picked herself up out of the booth and went back to the bar.

* * *

**Oh, no! Eric seems to have lost this round. I know that this is kind of a weird place to leave it, but it kind of works. I also wanted to get this out to you guys before I start the hecticness that is packing for college and because I love you guys so much.**

**So there that is. I listened to you guys' suggestions and left off the possible Dahlia/Eric scene. AND I would like to point out my giddyness due to Pam's 'redheaded slut' reference. It's a drink for anyone who's curious. It consists of Jäger, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice. I've never had one, but I was glad I could throw that liquor allusion in there, and it also seemed very appropriate. I hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend and feel free to address me with any other questions or concerns you all might have.**

**Oh, and I might just be up to taking suggestions for the next theme night *hint, double hint***

**xoxo**

**-Sydney**


	6. Mind Games

**Stiletto.****A/N: So I'm starting to get the impression that everyone is happy that Pam and Eric aren't doing it. This chapter is out so fast because I leave for college tomorrow, and I have to finish my halloween costume today. Due to it's being out so fast, I apologise for it being shorter than the others. Oh, and a golden star to **reading all night** for writing a review for every chapter; that's an ego-boost like nobody's business lol. I've also been getting a lot of great feedback re: my costume descriptions. All I've got to say is, thanks and I'll be sure to keep up with it in future chapters. ****Chapter Six- Mind Games**

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Eric had a dumbfounded look plastered on his face as he watched Sookie make her way back to the bar. She had plans? He wondered if something had transpired while he was in his office. As convenient as it might of sounded, Merlotte did send Dahlia to get Eric. It turned out that he had missed a fairly important message about switching a certain alcohol provider, and Sam had gotten curious when Eric hadn't said anything to him about it. Dahlia just happened to capitalize on that situation. Eric could certainly understand why Sookie would be upset, after all, he had left her to take care of something that would look pretty sketchy. Especially with Sookie's knowledge of prior Eric-Dahlia office relations.

He sighed to himself, and thoughts concerning Sookie's plans began to seep into his mind. _What plans? With who? And why the fuck do I care?_ Before he could linger on that last thought for too long, he was joined by Pam.

"What did you do now?"

"Damn it, Pam. I didn't do anything this time actually."

"She saw you leave, and she saw the redheaded slut leave shortly after. I wouldn't surprised if the whole staff didn't think you were up to something."

"I really wish that you'd stop comparing Dahlia to a cheap shot." He refused to acknowledge her other statement.

"I call them like I see them." Eric shot Pam a threatening look. "Fine, fine. I see that I've overstayed my welcome this time. Besides, I'm due on stage in five," she said, getting up and wiggling toward the backstage curtain to the right of the stage.

Eric looked back over at Sookie, who was making some variation of a martini, he gathered, from the glasses and shaker in front of her. He continued to watch her, but immediately wished he hadn't when she started to shake that god damned canister, which caused a strain in his slacks. As frustrated as he was by this reaction, Eric's eyes narrowed when someone stepped into his line of sight. It was Dahlia again, and she was walking toward him.

"I thought I made myself clear in my office, Dahlia."

"You did," she replied, rather dejectedly. "I just thought you might be interested in some information about Sookie."

"And why would I care about that?" Eric really wasn't in the mood to deal with anymore of Dahlia's shit tonight. He also didn't want to stoke Dahlia's more-than-apparent hatred of Sookie.

"I'm not stupid, Eric. But if you really don't care, I'll just keep my information about her date to myself then." She turned to walk off.

_A date?_ "Wait…with who?"

Dahlia laughed, "I thought you didn't care. But if you must know, she's grabbing a drink with Alcide after work. And you _so_ owe me for this information, hun. Come home with me."

Eric stood up. "Dahlia, I owe you nothing. And a word of advice: you should really get payment up front before you divulge information," he said before walking away.

Dahlia stood at his table for a moment before finishing up her tables for the night. Even if nothing had gone on in the office earlier, Sookie at least thought that something had-- she had made sure of that. And that was satisfaction enough for the time being.

---

Sookie couldn't have been more happy that she had her street clothes in the dressing room. After she finished her closing duties, she headed toward the curtains by the stage. After she had left Eric's table earlier that evening, Sookie had every intention of steering clear of Eric for the rest of the night. He had gone to such lengths to get her to sit with him, only to leave her for a quickie with Dahlia in his office, and quite frankly, she was pissed about it. She had no clue why she was so pissed about it, but she was.

It turned out that avoiding him wasn't so difficult. While refilling her 'martini table' of the evening, she noticed him start a conversation with Dahlia. By the time she glanced at his table again, he was gone.

Once in the dressing room, Sookie found Amelia and informed her of her plans with Alcide.

"That's fantastic, Sook. And also crazy-convenient since I'm leaving with Tray again." Amelia waggled her eyebrows.

"Great. Just make sure it's down to a dull roar when I get back," Sookie teased her friend. She grabbed the clothes she had worn in-- a pair of jeans and a red v-neck t-shirt-- and put them on. It was simple, yet classy. At least, that's what Amelia had told her before she left the dressing room.

Sookie found Alcide standing right outside the club's front doors. "All ready to go?" he asked. Sookie nodded, and he led her to his car. On the short ride over, she learned that Alcide lived a significant distance from the club, which made driving a car necessary. Most of the other employees lived within walking distance of the club, most of the bouncers rode motorcycles of every persuasion, and most were handy for taking the girls home when they wanted a lift.

They pulled into the little parking lot on the side of the bar, and lucked out with a front parking space. Sookie was pleasantly surprised when Alcide opened her door for her. After holding the bar door open for her as well, she decided that she liked the gentlemanly side of the seemingly badass bouncer. They both took seats at the bar, where Alcide ordered a beer while Sookie ordered a gin and tonic. After a couple moments of drinking-related silence, Sookie excused herself to the bathroom.

After doing her business and reapplying some lip gloss, Sookie was on her way back to the table when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Or rather, someone. He was tall, blonde, and…wait, not Eric. _Oh great, now I'm seeing things. But why him of all thing? I need another drink._ Sookie rejoined Alcide at the bar and sated her mind's request. She drank it slowly-- she cut herself off at two drinks, she was never one to get drunk off her ass.

While she may not have been drunk, Sookie was feeling the gin kicking in. The gin was mostly to blame for her sudden talkativeness. "So what's the deal with Dahlia?"

Alcide looked at her, a little confused. "You mean other than the fact she's banging the boss? Nothing really. No one really likes her, though, mostly due to the fact she tries to flaunt her…erm, connection with Eric."

"How classy."

"Yeah, well…that's Dahlia. Sam knew her prior to her gig at Fangtasia, and he's mentioned a couple times that it's just how she is. We tolerate it and we anticipate stuff like what happened with you two."

"The catfight, you mean."

Alcide nodded, "She thinks you're encroaching on her territory. She's very much like a Were in that aspect," he said reflectively. "We're just all amazed she hasn't gone after Pam yet."

Sookie wondered how much Dahlia really knew about the Eric-Pam dynamic. She guessed not much; she didn't figure Eric as the pillow-chat type. "Pam would kick her ass."

"You think? I mean, I haven't had much interaction with Pam."

"Definitely. She praised me for the catfight, and I didn't even start that."

They sat and chatted for about another hour and half. Both had switched to soda, and they spent the time talking about work, family, and other things. Sookie realized that Alcide was no love match, but he was a good listener and actually engaging, conversationally. He paid their tab, and then they were on their way to Sookie's apartment.

---

Eric saw the car pull up to the sidewalk as her walked down the street to Sookie's building. He waited for Alcide to pull away before quickening his gait. After watching her fumble with her keys for a moment, he cleared his throat. Sookie turned around, mace at the ready.

"Sookie, it's just me." He wondered how much she had to drink.

"Go home, Eric." _Apparently not enough._

"Alcide is no good for you." _Might as well get right down to it._

"What-- and you are?" she countered.

"Well since you ask, yes. I think so."

"Oh, that's rich, Eric. Don't you have somewhere else to be? Off fucking Dahlia perhaps," she spat. "Or didn't you get enough of her tonight?" She traveled three of the steps of her stoop so that she was standing at his eye level.

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't done shit with her tonight." He wondered why he felt compelled to explain himself to her. He also thought that she was even sexier while she was pissed off at him.

"Yeah, right. That's not what her mind told me. You know, when you left me to get blown in your office!"

"Blown in my…is that what she was thinking?"

"Yeah, it was. And I'm sure you were thinking about it too."

"I _wasn't_ thinking about it, Sookie."

"Wow, you're even more casual than I thought then."

Eric let out an exasperated sigh, "I wasn't thinking about it because it _didn't fucking happen!_ Damn it Sookie, you're so frustrating."

"I'm frustrating!?!"

"Yeah, you are. And you know what else?"

"What?"

His answer wasn't one of words, but rather action. As soon as that syllable left her mouth, Eric grabbed her waist, pulling her to him-- and into a searing kiss. Sookie's first response was to call out and push away, but this was futile. In fact, when she opened her mouth to scream, Eric deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers. Sookie involuntarily moaned into his mouth, and Eric's grip on her waist tightened. After a few more seconds of his assault on her mouth, Sookie gained control of her body and pushed him away, this time it was effective. Eric released her, uttered a "Goodnight, Sookie," and was gone. Sookie blinked a couple of times before returning to her door.

She had an even harder time getting her hands to cooperate with her keys this time, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the gin in her system.

**---**

When Sookie woke up at 2pm the following day, she was no less a confused woman than when she went to bed. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Eric had taken it upon himself to show up at her house. Moreover, she couldn't believe that he had kissed her. _And he says I'm the frustrating one_.

She rolled out bed and into the bathroom to brush her teeth. _The audacity _(word of the day) _of that asshole! To lie about Dahlia AND kiss me?_ She made a displeased sound out loud.

_Ok, and now you're lying-- you liked it, admit it._ Sookie was really getting tired of her traitorous conscience, or whatever it was that constantly argued with her rationality. She didn't even want to justify that with another thought, because she'd either be lying or admitting a truth she didn't want to.

---

Eric awoke that night to the same dream he'd been having for the last two. The only difference with that day's dream was that Sookie was in that little can-can outfit, and she was dancing. Dancing for him, and him alone. Of course, Sookie's costume didn't last much longer than one song worth of music, but that was always the point where he woke up.

Eric sat in his bed in his light proofed room. He was frustrated, both sexually and emotionally. He knew that Sookie was the cause of both.

He wondered what was with this girl that wouldn't yield to him. He also wondered why he bolted after kissing her last night. Despite the reason for either one of those thoughts, he knew his night at Fangtasia wasn't going to be an easy one.

* * *

**So I had originally planned on leaving it off at the kiss, but I added a bit more because I thought it was too short. Plus, I love you guys. So the next chapter will start back at Fangtasia. Wonder what will happen. There's a pretty good chance that the next update will be when I'm up in Savannah because I just have so much left to do. So I'm just giving the heads up. I might put another chapter up of Drawn tomorrow though, because it's already written. See you at the top of the next page, and probably from a different state.**

**-Sydney**


	7. Boiling Point

**Stiletto.**

* * *

**A/N: First off, I would just like to thank everyone for their well wishes re: my trip to college. You guys are the best. And I'm currently doing a happy dance after seeing a day of over 1,000 hits.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven- Boiling Point**

Sookie had decided that tonight would be part two of Operation: Avoid Eric. She ending up opting to wear a red, one-strap dress that was ruched on the side with the strap, and the ruching topped with a little cascade of fabric that draped to the hem, which lay at her knee. While it wasn't as simple as some of the other things that she owned, it offered more coverage of "the girls", as Amelia would refer to them. Sookie was feeling pretty positive about her low-key look, up until the point where she met Amelia in their living room.

"Damn, girl. Look at you."

Sookie's hands flew to the fabric of her dress. "What?" she whined.

"That dress. You look hot."

"Oh, no I don't, cause I'm changing." She spun on her heel, but Amelia grabbed her arm.

"We don't have time, we have to go." She opened the door to their apartment. "What's gotten into you, anyway? And since when do you not want to look hot?"

Both girls started down the steps after locking the door. "Since Eric decided to lay one on me last night." Sookie stopped walking; Amelia slammed into her.

She took a few steps back, dazed, before saying to Sookie, "He did WHAT!?!"

"He kissed me. He called me frustrating, and then he kissed me."

"And you're just telling me about this now?"

"Yeah, it was late when I got in. Trey was gone, you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you up."

"That makes sense. Although, for that tidbit of info, I'd have been willing to wake up."

"I'll make a note of that for next time."

"Next time? You mean there's gonna be a next time?"

"No! Figure of speech, Amelia." Sookie rolled her eyes at her roommate.

"So that explains your attempt to dress like a nun?"

"Yes. That explains my futile attempt to look low-key for work."

It was almost as if Amelia completely disregarded the last part of their conversation. "So…how was it? The kiss, I mean."

_Like it wasn't obvious what you meant, Amelia._ "Way to change the subject."

"Way to avoid the subject."

_Touché. _"It was just a kiss."

"_Just__a kiss?!?_ Damn it Sookie, details woman! Good, bad. Tongue…like it, or not."

"Like I said…it was just a kiss."

"Sookie, I know that you're the one that reads minds, but I can still tell when you're lying."

"Fine! It was an amazing kiss, spectacular really. But when it was over, he left."

"You didn't want him to?"

"I never even wanted him to kiss me." Ok, so that might have been a lie. "But you can't just kiss someone like that and then leave."

Amelia nodded in understanding. "So, since your attempt to blend in failed, why don't you use that failure to your advantage."

"What are you getting at, Ame?"

"Work it. Make him pay for leaving you last night after the kiss. And for leaving you for Dahlia at work." Sookie gave an inquisitive look. "Crystal told me-- she was on stage and saw it."

"Ok. So you're saying I should mess with him."

"Right."

"Ok, I'll try. Oh, and he also tried to tell me that nothing happened with Dahlia, which I don't buy for a second."

Their conversation was cut off by the fact that they arrived at the club. Sookie caught sight of Eric, who was outside talking to a bouncer who she was pretty sure went by the name of Quinn. The two girls walked straight by them, but Sookie could feel Eric's eyes on her as they passed.

---

Sookie was standing at the bar, assembling a tray and trying to conceive a plan of action for the newly-acquired Operation: Payback, when Eric approached the waitress' area. _Well that settles that part. At least he's good for something._ The only problem she was having now was deciding what to do now that he was there. She did the only logical thing that she could think of: she ignored Eric, grabbed her tray, and sashayed away-- effectively giving her time to think.

Or so she thought.

"Quit trying to avoid me, Sookie." Eric's voice caused Sookie to stop in her tracks. She turned around, and he was right behind her.

"I'm not avoiding you, Eric." Truthfully, she wasn't. That was the first instance. She did have to deliver her drinks. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Sookie continued her journey to a table full of Weres.

"When you're done with that, I'd like to see you in my office."

_I'm sure you would_. "I have other tables. I can't just come to your office when you want. I won't do it, and you can't make me." Sookie honestly didn't care that she was defying her boss; she wasn't going to be alone with him again.

"Oh, but Sookie, I _can_ make you come."

The double meaning of his words was not lost on her. Not in the least. She opened her mouth to snap something back at him, but her words escaped her.

"That's what I thought. I'll see you in ten." Eric turned to walk to the back. He took a few steps before turning back to Sookie. "Oh, and by the way-- nice dress." And then he continued on.

And that's how Operation: Payback started to go to shit. _Damn it._

---

Eric was sitting at his desk, feet propped up, when Sookie entered. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Like I said earlier, Eric, I had tables. In case you didn't notice, we're slammed out there." Sookie made no attempts at disguising her rolling eyes.

"Honestly, Sookie, I didn't notice. You in that damned dress took care of that."

Sookie was stuck between being flattered, being angry, and being happy that her plan wasn't completely ruined. She opted to stick to game plan. "Cut the crap, Eric. What did you want to see me for?" It wasn't like she didn't know, she actually wanted to hear him say it himself.

She didn't have to wait long. Eric was in front of her in the next second. "_Cut the crap?_ Seriously, Sookie? What's that expression about pots and kettles?"

"The pot shouldn't call the kettle black-- wait, you think I'm pulling something too?" _Shit._

"I don't think you are pulling anything. I just think you're not being honest."

"Not being honest about what?"

There were about five inches of space between them at this point. Sookie was bound and determined to maintain eye contact with him, but she found herself distracted by his lips, especially considering the current subject matter.

"I think you know."

"I can assure you, I don't."

"Do I honestly have to remind you?"

"Maybe you do," she challenged him.

For someone who was so hell-bent on ignoring what happened, the fact that she practically asked him to kiss her again confused him. But, then again, who was he to refuse the request of a beautiful lady?

Eric wrapped a strong arm around Sookie's waist, much like their first kiss, and planted his lips on hers, delicately. Plans be damned, Sookie gave into that kiss. It wasn't abrupt like the previous one; it was one of those foot-popping, knee-buckling kisses. After a few seconds of blissful torture, Eric released both Sookie's lips and waist, causing her to slump down into the desk chair behind her. She saw Eric start to move away from her, so she put her hand up to block him. That was about all of the strength she could muster at that point.

"You are definitely not leaving this time, buster."

Eric could have simply pushed her arm away, but if she didn't want him to leave, he wouldn't. Hell, he thought it had the potential to become interesting. He glided back over and perched on his desk.

"You really shouldn't make a habit of kissing people senseless and then taking off. It gives people the wrong impress--"

"So it was good for you too, then?" Eric waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Damn it, Eric. Since you can't be serious, _I'm _going to leave this time." She got up and made for the door. Sookie had barely laid a finger on the doorknob before Eric was on her again. After a few more heated seconds, he hoisted one of her legs up and wrapped it around his hip. Sookie knew that this wasn't part of the plan, but he was just such an exceptional kisser. It wasn't until he ground his pelvis against her that she realized what she was doing.

"Eric, stop," she said as she broke the kiss. He went in to kiss her again, so she turned her head to the side; Eric's mouth connected with her cheek. Sookie thought she communicated her point effectively, but then his lips found her earlobe. Considering the fact that her leg was still wrapped around him, Sookie decided to make use of the foot part of that leg and kick him repeatedly in the back.

"You're making this difficult, Sookie," Eric growled against her skin.

"Then I'm doing a good job."

"I thought you wanted this. In fact, I know you do. I can smell it." He ran a hand up the wrapped leg to where her dress had started to ride up.

"If you think I'm going to just let you bend me over your desk, you've got another thing coming."

"I never said it had to be my desk. I'm willing to negotiate." Eric flashed her a smile.

"You know what I mean, Eric. Now if you don't mind, I still have work to do."

He released his grasp on her. "I do, in fact, mind, but I will let you go. For now."

Sookie set herself to rights and marched out of his office.

---

Sookie was quite surprised that Eric didn't bother her for the rest of the evening. She was, however, surprised when Amelia strolled up, bikini-clad and fresh from a performance. So much so, Sookie could still hear the ending notes of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" fading from the speakers. "So am I to believe that the plan worked?"

"No. As a matter of fact, it was an epic failure."

"What happened. I figured since you went in his office and _actually came back out_, that the plan was a success."

"Yeah, well if I wouldn't have regained myself, then I probably wouldn't have."

"No shit?" Sookie shook her head. "I demand details later. This is not the place…nor the company." Amelia turned her head toward the long tables by the stage. Sookie followed her movement and saw Dahlia walking towards them at the bar. _Well, if this just isn't the icing on the cake_. She was wearing a lime-colored micro-mini, the fabric of which rode up when she placed a hand on her hip. Dahlia then thrust that hip to the side with attitude; Sookie thought she looked like a teenage girl who had just lost the homecoming crown.

"What were you doing in Eric's office, Sookie?"

"Well, despite the fact that it's none of your business, we were having a discussion." That _was_ what it started out as. Dahlia didn't need the particulars; it wasn't like they were screwing.

"Yeah. Right."

"Dahlia, that's what happened. You know, a discussion, what an office is _actually used for_."

"Bitch, I'm tired of you talking to me like that just because you think I'm some kind of a slut."

"_Bitch?_ Like that's any better. Besides, I don't just _think _you're a slut; you _are _a slut. _Slut._"

That was when Dahlia swung. In all honesty, Sookie most likely expected it. Hell, if someone had called her a slut, she would have come out slapping as well. But still, the hand connected with her cheek, apparently with enough force to make a sound loud enough to get the entire club's attention. That part was mostly likely a figment of Sookie's imagination, but there was no denying the fact that even the focus of the patrons with the most base levels of hearing was now directed on Sookie and Dahlia. Not to mention that there was the unmistakable sound of fangs popping left and right.

Sookie was vaguely conscious of a particular set of fangs as she leapt on Dahlia. As justified as the slut comment-based slap may have been, Sookie was tired of Dahlia's shit. Sookie's attack caused Dahlia to fall backward, narrowly missing the side of a table. The guys sitting at said table were more than happy to oblige with some hooting and hollering. Sookie managed to land about three well-places blows to Dahlia's face before she felt arms wrap around her waist. As she was pulled up and off of Dahlia, Sookie got a chance to survey the damage. Dahlia was now sporting a split lip, her nose was bleeding, and her left eye was starting to show signs of bruising. Not long after that, Sookie was changed into a fireman's carry position. This was when she realized who had picked her up, from the sight of a _very_ definitive backside.

As she was carried toward the back a quick thought of 'to the victor go the spoils' flitted across her mind.

* * *

**Woo. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it out of this chapter without another girl fight. A better girl fight, in my opinion. Oh and a couple of notes: I'm sorry for the almost two week delay in this story's updates. I ended up coming home after deciding I had no clue what I wanted to major in and that I couldn't justify paying a large sum on money a year to figure it out, so that was a lot of the reason why this chapter took so long to write. I wasn't happy, and that affected my writing big time. Second, the fact that Alexander Skarsgard graces the video aside, "Paparazzi" is a really catchy song. I also do not own the writes to the line I sort of jacked from ABC Family's "Secret Life", and kudos to anyone who knows which line I'm talking about. Actually, send me the line and a theme night suggestion or other suggestion and I'll try and work it in. Which brings me to the fact that I would really like to hear some more theme night suggestions, because I feel another one coming on. I'd also take a costume suggestion for Sookie (or anyone) for a potential Halloween party. Oh, and the link to Sookie's dress is on the profile…check it!**

**-Sydney**


	8. Murphy's Law

**Stiletto.**

* * *

**A/N: So I'm pushing this out way ahead of schedule. Mostly because it kind of just flowed out as I was typing. It's way short, but with good intention. So without further ado…**

* * *

**Chapter Eight- Murphy's Law**

Sookie resolved to enjoying the view as she was carried to the back. Eric had a pretty firm grip on her, so wiggling was basically out of the question. After a few more minutes of partially immobilized silence, Eric had deposited Sookie on the pavement outside of the back door to the club. As soon as her heels hit the ground she took off, charging for the door. Eric intercepted her with two hands on her hips.

"Let me go! If I'm gonna get fired, it might as well be worth it," Sookie screamed as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Once again, his grip was like a vise.

"Sookie, calm down! You're not going to get fired. Besides, you've already done enough damage. It was all Sam could do to get Dahlia out of the club without being attacked with that bloody nose you gave her." Eric couldn't resist the laugh he had been holding in. Just the thought of the little blonde doing that kind of damage with, what looked like, three punches intrigued him. It both intrigued him and turned him on immensely.

Libido aside, he still had administrative protocol to uphold. He had instructed Merlotte to send Dahlia home for the rest of the evening, so he figured he should do the same for Sookie.

Eric reflected on that for a moment. By sending Sookie home he would be down to only one waitress and well, without Sookie. He knew that the second thought was selfish-- he could honestly care less about how many people were closing that night-- but he could afford to be selfish. He could also afford not to play fair.

Looking down at the petite frame he was still holding, Eric determined that Sookie wasn't going to try and escape again. He had also formulated a solution to his problem.

"I can't let you go back in there seeing as I already had Dahlia sent home. But you will wait in my office until after closing, and then I will escort you home," he commanded, staring into her eyes in an attempt to form the connection he needed. _Fuck, her eyes are gorgeous_.

After a moment, Sookie just stood there blinking at him. She knew that Eric had just attempted to glamour her. She also knew that it didn't work. Matching the intensity of his gaze, she couldn't help but crack a smile. "You know that won't work on me, right?" Her smile only got wider when Eric was visibly taken aback by her statement. Even though she couldn't read his mind, she knew that he was curious as to why the glamour wasn't working and how she knew what he was trying to accomplish. Sookie really didn't feel the need to explain about one Bill Compton's failed attempt to both glamour and seduce her back in Bon Temps.

Eric didn't really know why he was so surprised at this development. He already knew that he couldn't glamour Dahlia either-- maybe it was a telepath thing. _Whatever_. "Even if it doesn't, you're still going to wait and I'm still going to take you home."

Sookie was wondering who the hell Eric thought he was ordering her around like that. She was also wondering why everything he said sounded suggestive. And more importantly, why she liked it?

"Like hell I am. If you're saying that I can go home, then that's exactly where I'm going." She pulled her cell phone out of the top of her dress, a motion that didn't slip by Eric's attentive gaze, and sent a 'being sent home' text to Amelia. She flipped her phone shut and turned her attention back to Eric. "So if that's the end of your boss lecture, good night."

Her feisty attitude wasn't helping his arousal levels at the moment. Neither did the fact that she just reached into her top. He didn't think, however, that he'd score any points-- or score anything for that matter-- by forcing her to do something she didn't want. Especially since the art of glamour was not on his side with Sookie.

That didn't mean he was averse to trying to convince her it was something she wanted.

He forced out a deliberate sigh. "It's just that…it's very late, Sookie. It's not safe for a young, beautiful woman to be alone."

Sookie arched an eyebrow at him. "Really, it's quite alright. You know how close I live. I'll be fine."

"Fine," Eric spoke with resolve. "At least call me or something once you get home. Ease my nerves?"

Before Sookie could compose a response, Eric plucked the tiny cellular device from her hands. He pushed past the fact that it was warm from being against her breasts all night, and punched his number in.

"Seriously. At least send a text." Sookie nodded. Eric looked at her, paused a second, and then placed a kiss on her cheek before disappearing inside.

---

Sookie flipped her phone back open once her apartment building came into view. Much like carrying her pocket-sized canister of mace, she had gotten into the habit of keeping her phone out while walking alone. She ran her thumb lightly over the buttons, debating whether to call or text Eric.

She knew she was going to communicate with him somehow, because it was just be downright rude considering how he genuinely seemed to be concerned with her safety as she was getting ready to leave the club. She had made it up to her stoop before she pressed the button to start a new text. After typing the word 'I'm' and being almost through 'home safe', she exited out of the text window. Sookie found herself wanting to hear Eric's voice, even it was only in confirmation of her safe arrival home.

So what's that expression? Want in one hand, and shit in the other?

Sookie had just found Eric's number and pressed the little green phone when she felt someone come up behind her. She was promptly knocked to the ground, where her phone skidded, thankfully, into the grass. Apparently her assailant hadn't even registered the fact that she was using a cell phone. He was…preoccupied.

Still conscious, Sookie looked up in an attempt to at least see who was attacking her. From her position on the ground, she could hear the phone ringing. _Please let him answer_. If she had wanted to hear Eric's voice before, she _needed_ to hear it now.

Also from her position on the ground, she could see the shadowy outline of her assailant. It wasn't until he stepped into the glow of the streetlight that Sookie was able to make a positive ID. Bill Compton.

_Figures. He would attack me considering his normal attempt at courting was a dismal failure._ Sookie knew the motive well enough. The only thing that plagued her mind (other than her hope of a rescue) was the fact that he was in Shreveport. Why was he here, and not back home in Bon Temps? Sookie also knew that this line of questioning was futile. The fact of the matter was that he was there, and he was most likely going to hurt her in some way. People generally don't just corner a girl while she's alone, knock her to the ground, and then walk away. Especially if said person was Bill Compton, a vampire, and a clearly unstable one at that.

_Well, here's to not going down with out a fight_. If it were any other moment than impending rape, Sookie might have laughed at the choice of words of her thought-sentence. All things considered, she wouldn't have even had time to laugh. As soon as Bill stepped into the light, he descended upon Sookie.

"You thought you could come to Shreveport and forget all about me, didn't you?" he asked as slender fingers wrapped around her jaw, pulling her face up to meet his.

Sookie didn't feel like dignifying his statement with a response. He knew damn good and well why she had left Bon Temps, but now here he was twisting things all around. _Sick bastard_.

Bill let out a laugh, "So now we're not feeling all too talkative, are we Sookie?" He punctuated his sentence by running his free hand down her side, down to the hem of her dress. "No matter. I always thought you talked too much anyway."

---

Eric was sitting at his desk, staring at his cell phone. It was almost as if he thought he could make it ring by staring it down for all it was worth. He glanced at the clock; it had been well over the amount of time required to travel to Sookie's apartment. Looking at the plastic device, Eric decided that Sookie was simply not contacting him. And quite frankly, that pissed him off. Surely she had made it home alright-- would it have been so fucking difficult to drop him a simple text? _Two words…'I'm home'…simple as fucking pie._

Eric stood up from his desk. He wondered what the hell had gotten in to him. Here he was, sitting, waiting for a phone call. A phone call from a girl that he hadn't even gotten into yet. Eric Northman did not wait for phone calls. He was in the process of exiting his office when he heard the phone start to ring. At vampire speed, he was back at his desk, grabbing at the communication device. _What the hell?_

The caller ID flashed an unknown number, but it was a local one, and something told him it was Sookie. He pressed 'accept', expecting to hear her soothing voice. But nothing came. Fuck, he'd even take her pissed-off voice, because that meant she was ok. He yelled her name into the phone…still nothing. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he studied it, unsure if it was functioning properly. Surely it had to be broken. Why else would the line be dead? Calling her name into the phone again, he was rewarded (for lack of a better term) with the sound of someone. Two people, really. At least the phone wasn't broken. Always looking for an upside. There was a grunt, followed by a scream. Both were distinctly female, both were also distinctly Sookie. He could also hear the muffled sound of someone else speaking. Someone male. Yup, and there was the downside.

That was all it took to cause Eric to take off into the night.

---

Sookie's eyes darted around. She refused to look at Bill while he was doing…well, whatever it was he planned on doing. She had already given up on trying to fend him off. Quite frankly, her legs hurt after all that kicking. Besides, resistance was futile, as Bill had so _graciously_ pointed out. He was vampire after all. That was one chapter they left out in Ladies' Self-Defense Class.

So there she was, silent, immobile, and looking around. She outright refused to give him any kind of satisfaction from this. Stealing a quick glance at her discarded cell phone, she determined it was no longer making any noise. That was disheartening. She had focused on the grass around it, sighing to herself, when she heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper. For someone who had obviously gone through the premeditation of waiting to attack her, Sookie thought that Bill was sure taking his sweet time to actually do the deed. She also wondered where the hell all the people were. It had to have been only around midnight or so. She figured they were probably up in the surrounding apartments, watching the whole exchange.

Sookie was contemplating her Kitty Genovese-like fate when suddenly the pressure on her body was suddenly a whole lot lighter.

* * *

***Hides under her desk* Nobody hit me! To tell the truth, I had that planned from the get-go. I just didn't know how I wanted to work it in. I hope it wasn't too OOC. Let me know what you think though. Oh, and even though I had the attack planned from the beginning, what I don't know is: To kill, or not to kill? So, let me hear it.**

**I'm still looking for someone to identify the Secret Life quote from the last chappie. Whoever gets it-- instant win. Whatever theme or suggestion you want, I'll make it work somehow.**

**-Sydney**


	9. Development

**Stiletto.**

* * *

**Nope, no long, drawn out top A/N. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine- Development**

_Sookie was contemplating her Kitty Genovese-like fate when suddenly the pressure on her body was suddenly a whole lot lighter._

---

Sookie laid on the concrete, staring up at the darkness, utterly confused. In what felt like a nanosecond, she had gone from being almost raped to being alone on the sidewalk. That left only one question-- where was Bill? Surely he hadn't just decided, mid-undress, to call it quits. No matter where he currently was, the fact of the matter was that he was no longer pinning her down. Taking advantage of her newfound mobility, Sookie scrambled to roll over and grab her phone, quickly pressing redial. Her present confusion kicked up a couple of notches when she heard the sound of a phone ringing, from behind her.

She rolled back over to find out where the ringing was coming from. Sookie sat up in enough time to see Eric slam Bill into the brick wall that was the side of her apartment building. She then watched him carry Bill's slightly unconscious body further into the alleyway between the two buildings. There was only a sliver of light from the lamp post shining into that alleyway. Sookie could see Eric's feet and up to his knees, which subsequently meant that she could see Bill's feet, dangling.

That's honestly all she wanted to see. Hearing the rest of it was quite enough, in her opinion.

Sookie had closed her phone by this point, so the ringing from Eric's pocket had ceased. But the ringing was only where the noises started. She heard Eric hiss out a string of expletives, punctuated by the sound of a body being slammed against a wall repeatedly. The alley wasn't very far from where Sookie was sitting, and she also heard someone spit.

Sookie gathered that it was Bill that had spit, because shortly after, she heard Eric's distinctive voice growl something in Swedish. This made no sense to Sookie, because as far as she knew, Bill didn't speak or understand a lick of Swedish. Maybe he did. _Who knew?_ Sookie never expected that Bill would track her down in Shreveport and try to rape her. Why would it surprise her that he possibly spoke Swedish?

She didn't really have time to ponder Bill's bilingual potential, as she was distracted by a loud crunch and a sickening thud. She wasn't exactly sure what was about to come out of the alleyway, but she was supremely relieved when it was Eric that emerged.

Sookie then looked past his tall form back to the dark alleyway. "Is he…?" She honestly couldn't form the sordid word.

"No. He is simply…immobilized."

"But…but what about the sun?"

"He'll be conscious by sunrise."

"Why?"

"I only broke some bones. Well, a lot of bones, actually. And a pretty important appendage." Eric spoke as if he was reading a menu. Sookie cringed a little.

Eric extended a hand and Sookie took it as an opportunity to stand up. "I mean, why is he alive?"

"You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork involved in vampire manslaughter." He studied Sookie's face and his sarcastic smile fell. "Gods, Sookie, was I here too late? What did he do?" Eric was instantly by her side, inspecting her for damages.

"No, Eric. You got here in time. I just thought…I don't know what I thought."

"Do you want me to kill him, Sookie?"

She looked up at him, obviously thinking about it, before saying, "No. I guess not. I mean, you stopped him from doing whatever it was he planned on doing." She shuddered at the thought.

"Well, then that is settled. I'll watch to make sure you get in your building, and then I will escort you and Amelia to work tomorrow evening. To make sure he doesn't hang around." He quickly added, "Only if you want me to."

Sookie started up her stoop, fumbled with her keys, and unlocked her door before turning back around. She stole another glance at the alleyway, then turned to Eric.

"Stay. Please."

Eric stared at her for a moment. Part of him knew that it was only her vulnerability speaking. The other part of him really didn't give a flying fuck. While taking advantage of emotional girls wasn't exactly his style, he could tell that Sookie was really shaken by what had transpired. If his presence eased her anxiety, then he would stay. He walked up to where she was standing, only a step below her. Sookie turned the door handle, revealing the small pseudo-lobby of her building.

Eric followed a significant distance behind Sookie as they traveled the single flight of stairs to her apartment. After a quick glance around the hallway, Eric noticed that this particular building hosted a lot more apartments then one would guess by looking at the outside.

Sookie opened the door to her apartment much quicker than the building's door, so he gathered that she must be a little more calm. After he heard the lock click open, she turned to face him. "Please come in."

Once inside the apartment, Eric kind of lingered in the doorway, unsure of what to do with himself. Sure, he knew what _he_ wanted to do with himself, but that was irrelevant. The relevance lay with the pretty blonde standing a few paces ahead of him. The pretty blonde who was now starring at him and his lack of mobility.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." She gestured to the couch. Eric walked over and sat down, offering her a smile. While Sookie seemed to have her small motor skills under control, her voice was still shaky, and Eric didn't like that at all. He looked at her, still standing in the same spot, and patted the sofa cushion next to the one that he was perched on.

"Let me change first." She tried her best to smile back at him before disappearing into her bedroom. Eric's eyes remained on the closed door. _Oh, to be a fly on that wall_, he thought. He quickly shook his head clear of those thoughts, choosing instead to focus his attention on the wall that was opposite the couch. There was nothing adorning that wall, and Eric was very thankful when Sookie emerged from her room.

After one glance at her, he was slightly less thankful and wanted nothing more than to resume his staring match with the blank wall. Sookie was wearing a pair of not entirely street-legal sleep shorts and a tiny little t-shirt. Apparently her anxiety had clouded her judgment in lounge attire. Not that Eric was complaining or anything, it was just that her outfit wasn't making his attempt to avoid physically consoling her, repeatedly, any easier.

Sookie sat down on the couch where Eric had patted previously, her shorts riding up a little. He was working really hard to look elsewhere, so needless to say he was surprised when he felt her weight shift and lean against him.

Eric looked down at Sookie, who was currently in the business of making herself more comfortable on the couch and, by extension, his lap. In the next instant, her eyes had found his. "Now I know that you probably can't stay all night…with the sun and all…but could you please just stay with me until I fall asleep?"

He smiled at her and nodded. In that moment, it wasn't important to tell her that he could stay as long as she wanted him to because no sunlight reached the modest apartment. As Eric looked down at the girl in his lap, trying to get some rest, he realized that she sought some small comfort in him being there. He also realized that his most primal needs for her could be put off for the time being.

After only about ten minutes, Eric heard her breathing become more heavy. He hoisted her up gently and carried her to her bed. After tucking her in, he placed a light kiss on her forehead. And even though he could have stayed longer, and some part of him wanted to watch her sleep, he didn't. After that night, Eric had a feeling that there would be many more opportunities to spend the night with Miss Stackhouse.

---

While he did not stay at Sookie's apartment, Eric kept true to his word to escort her and Amelia to the club. He lingered outside the building after he checked the alleyway to confirm that Compton was gone. There were no ashy remnants, so he figured that he had the good sense to get the hell out of dodge before sunrise. At least he had good sense in one area.

In truth, Eric was seething mad that Compton was still alive. But the reality was that he didn't harm Sookie, and that meant there was no justifiable reason to off him. As snarky as the comment was intended to be, there really was a tremendous amount of hoopla involved in killing another vampire, especially for a human. Plus, he had no claim on Sookie-- as much as he like to change that fact-- so there really was no scot-free way to dance around that matter.

Eric was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of a door opening. His head snapped around to look at the door; he didn't want to chance Sookie seeing him looking at the alleyway. _No sense in drudging that up again._

The first person out of the door was Amelia. Eric never had a problem with the pixie-like girl, in fact, she was probably his favorite employee as of late. He knew that was entirely due to the fact that she had brought him the little blonde who was following closely behind her, and he knew that he was being selfish again, but he still didn't care. He wanted Sookie, she knew it, and he was starting to think that she reciprocated. Last night's incident was just what he needed to get his foot into that proverbial door.

But back to Miss Stackhouse. She emerged from the building, shortly after the dancer, wearing a strapless, brick colored little number. The skirt was completely ruched, the bodice was intricately folded and overlapped, and the whole experience was doing wonders for both Eric's imagination and libido. Some small part of him hoped that this dress was for him. Red was his favorite color, after all.

---

The walk to the club was peaceful enough. Peaceful meaning no Bill Compton-type interruptions. There was, however, quite the protest from Sookie's end about being escorted to work.

"Eric, I didn't think you were serious last night."

"Your safety is important, Sookie"

"I'm well aware of that, thank you. I can take care of myself."

Eric had to bite his tongue and resist pointing out how bad she failed to take care of herself by rehashing the previous night. He already knew that Feisty Sookie had resurfaced; there was no point in adding Bitchy Sookie to the party.

In addition to trying to avoid pissing her off further, Eric also tried to avoid letting on to his feelings too much. It was clear that Sookie either didn't remember, or wasn't acknowledging their tender exchange from last night, and Eric didn't want to be the one to go back down that road either.

It was Amelia who broke the silence. "Sookie, he's here now, and we're already walking, so we might as well take advantage of his offer." Eric knew he liked the little dancer. There was about half a block of amicable silence before they arrived at the club.

* * *

**A/N: I cut this off short again because I have a lot to pack into the next chapter. Plus, I thought the beating of Bill was enough of a dramatic incident to stand on it own. And I wanted to get this out to you guys.**

**But first, some notes! Yes, Eric did break the appendage you're thinking he broke. And yes, that would be the ultimate definition of cockblock. So when I started this chapter, I had every intention of writing two versions and then waiting to see what the popular opinion on what Bill's fate would be. Then I got into writing what I dubbed the 'Kill Bill' version, and it was just to damn much fun to kill him off, as sadistic as that sounds. It makes me feel a little bit better that there was a huge response to just whack Bill and get it over with. Then I was thinking some more, and so now we have the chapter 9 that you just read. I dunno why, but I just couldn't kill him off this chapter. Damn moral compass. That and I didn't want to go too far OOC with the whole it's bad juju to kill another vamp thing. Well, hopefully there won't be too too many e-tomatoes hurled in my direction. Much love to you guys, you're the awesome-est. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, Sookie's apartment has a second door, in compliance with that whole 'needs two exits in case of a fire' thing. I'm convinced that there has to be a windowless apartment somewhere out there. And if there isn't, oh well. Maybe if I get bored again, I'll Microsoft Paint you guys a layout of Sookie's apartment. And her dress is linked on my profile.**

**-Sydney**


	10. Revelations

**Stiletto.**

* * *

**A/N: Let me first start out by saying that I've been in a continuous string of happy dances all day long. First, I've had a little string of awesome hit/review/alert days, and of course that makes me happy like none other. Second, I've hit 10,000, well hits for this month overall, and almost reached 10k for this story alone. I love you guys for checking out my little story here.**

**The third reason for my happy dancing gets it's own little paragraph. A couple of chapters back, I offered up a challenge. I tucked a quote from ABC Family's "Secret Life…" (which I don't own btw) into the chapter. Adding the quote had nothing to do with offering the challenge, it was an afterthought when I was writing the bottom AN. Anywho, two people stepped up and correctly identified the quote:**

"**I just don't **_**think**_ **you're a slut; you **_**are **_**a slut. **_**Slut.**_**"**

**Those two uber-observant people are Secrets4theunderground and howyoudsdoin. Secrets4theunderground, as the first to respond, wins herself a cameo character which will debut either this chapter, or the next. Howyoudsdoin wins herself a theme night, which will mostly likely happen next chapter. You guys are fucking fantastic (in the words of Lily Allen), and I hope you like what I do with your additions. I did some talking to each of them and got a lot of input, so what everyone will read is a lot of what they supplied me. Hopefully I can come up with some more fun stuff like this in the future.**

**Enjoy! There's gonna be some good stuff in this one, folks.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten- Revelations**

Even though Sookie wasn't entirely thrilled about being escorted to work, she couldn't deny the fact that she was relieved to have Eric looking out for her. She could still feel Bill's hands on her, the way he seemed to be taking his sweet fucking time, the sound of him undoing his fly, and then…nothing. Sookie could also recall the wave of sweet relief when she no longer felt Bill's weight on her, when Eric had saved her like the proverbial knight in shining armor. _Her_ knight.

She vaguely remembered inviting him in, the 'why' she did not know. She knew that she was in a vulnerable place-- hell, she still was-- but something about him was oddly calming. Per her request, he had stayed with her until who-knows-when…sunrise, she'd imagine…until she fell asleep. She was, however, a little unnerved by the fact that when she woke up, she realized that she was clad in a pair of pjs that certainly weren't visitor-friendly.

While she may have been unsteady the previous night, Sookie was back on her game that evening. She looked over at the enormous Viking walking beside her as they entered the club. The only question that lingered in her mind was how to breach the subject of what seemed to be a tender moment between them.

After a somewhat hurried kiss on the cheek from Eric, Sookie headed over to the waitress' station. Almost as if on cue, Dahlia came toddling up to it at the exact same moment. Sookie chose to ignore her, instead focusing on slicing lemons.

"I saw you come in with him. So you're fucking him now?"

Sookie put the knife down. _Might as well avoid the temptation…_

"I guess I wasn't clear the last time. I'm not fucking him, you still have the corner market on that one." _Not that I wouldn't like to gain some stock in that, he was awfully nice to snuggle with…what the hell?_ Sookie's head instantly darted up, unsure if Dahlia had heard her thoughts. She didn't. _Thank God._

"Your lucky I like working here, or I'd have to kick your skinny blonde ass."

Sookie's eyes tracked to the hefty shiner Dahlia was currently sporting, which had been unsuccessfully covered with makeup. She snorted, cleaned up the lemons, and went to go take some orders. Dahlia must have found something shiny to play with, because she left the bar area as well.

---

The bar was in full swing around midnight, and Sookie was returning to the bar when she heard her phone give a little jingle from inside her purse. She shrugged off the coincidence of her being present when it rang, and picked up the little device. It was a text.

_Breakfast at Denny's?_

_-E_

Sookie smiled and sent an affirmative text back. She slid the phone back into her purse and went to working on her drink order. She had just completed her last drink, a martini, when she heard heels clacking up to the bar.

"Sookie, there's--" Sookie threw her free hand up, dismissing whatever Dahlia had to say, and continuing her drink delivery. She was glad she had already dropped off her order, because she was sure she would have dropped it when she saw where Dahlia had wandered back to. There, perched under Dahlia, was Bill. Sookie wobbled a bit, grasping at a chair for stability. A chair that happened to be the current resident of one drunk patron.

She successfully swatted his unwanted hand away, as well as managing to right herself. Ignoring whatever lewd comment-- involving girls 'falling for him'-- that was his flavor of the week, Sookie looked back to the table in question. Bill wasn't there. In fact, no one was there. No Dahlia, and no random-other-fangbanger. _Well that was odd_. Sookie scanned the club; no Dahlia _anywhere_. A wave of calm was running over her; when Eric emerged from the back a couple of minutes later, said wave became a flood. A _very concentrated_ flood…Sookie decided that all her emotions were just running on high in that moment, due to whatever she just saw at that table. Her reaction to Eric was just an aftershock. She hoped.

She manage to pull it together by the time Eric slid up along side her.

"Hungry?" _Well damn it if the man didn't have a way with words_. Sookie forced herself to nod. Nodding was safer than her first reaction, and this wasn't _that_ kind of club.

"What do you say we get out of here?"

Sookie stared at him blankly. "It's only 12:30, what about the closing, and the cleaning, and the--" Eric put a finger up to her lips.

"Sookie, look at the bar." She knew in all honesty that the bar wasn't messy or in any sort of disarray, it never really was. The waitresses were nothing, if not cleanly. Sookie just felt like she was shirking her responsibilities to run off with Eric.

_Run off? Now that's an interesting choice of words. _Sookie couldn't help but roll her eyes at her internal alter-ego. Thankfully, her head was turned toward the bar at that moment. "Fine, let's go." She went to grab her purse.

"Don't sound so excited," Eric called after her. When she turned back to him, he had that shit-eating grin plastered on his face. _Cocky bastard._

Once the exited the club, Eric turned to Sookie. "Want to take my car?"

"Why? The restaurant isn't too far of a walk."

"I don't know. I just thought you might want to be off of your feet for a bit. Those heels look like they might be painful." He smiled at her. "Incredibly sexy, but painful."

Sookie looked down at her feet. First of all, she was blushing a shade of crimson that almost matched her dress. Second, Eric was right. While incredibly gorgeous, her heels were also very pinchy. After reigning her emotions in, she looked back up at Eric. "Sounds great."

After a short while in Eric's corvette, Sookie realized that this ride was taking much longer than necessary to travel to Denny's. "Um…Eric?"

"Yes?"

"We should be at Denny's already…where are we going?"

"Quite observant you are, Miss Stackhouse. I am, in fact, taking you to a little bar by your apartment building."

Sookie knew the place, but she was a little bit miffed that Eric had staged an impromptu change in locale. Or, at least she hoped it was impromptu. "A bar, Eric?"

"Yes a bar. I understand humans find them enjoyable?"

"You would know, you're the one who owns one," Sookie shot back.

"Fair enough, little one. If you'd rather go to Denny's, I can turn around," he offered.

"No, the bar is fine. I've been there a couple of times…with Amelia." Truth be told, she could use a drink after everything that happened that evening. More of Dahlia's shit, whatever she saw (or didn't see) regarding Bill, and whatever was going to happen with Eric. She was pretty positive that he was just itching to ask her about their exchange last night-- she wasn't so sure about it herself. While there was no denying that Eric was unbelievably attractive, Sookie wondered if the seemingly sensitive side she had witnessed was just a fluke thing. Well, she was more than willing to investigate that angle.

Within the next few minutes, they were parked at the bar. Sookie's investigation was well underway and she was happily surprised when Eric not only opened the car door, but he both held the bar door open and pulled out her chair at the small table for two they currently occupied.

Shortly after their drinks were delivered, a small jazz band started setting up on the makeshift stage that was in the far corner of the bar. Sookie knew that this place was known for its frequent local entertainment, which was part of the reason she agreed to let Eric take her there.

Sookie couldn't help but smile as the little band struck up an up-tempo number. She looked up from the gin and tonic that she was currently nursing and across the table at Eric, who was staring intently at her while absentmindedly messing with the label on his bottle of TruBlood. Sookie resisted the urge to point out something someone told her once, something along the lines of that if you pick at bottle labels, then it's a sign of sexual frustration. She mostly avoided that little snippet of information because if she had a labeled bottle in front of her, she'd probably be peeling it too. As the thoughts in her head became heavier, she decided to reach across the table and grab Eric's hand, in search of something lighter.

"Let's dance!" she exclaimed as she tried her damnedest to pull him up. Eric smiled at her before standing up and following her to the floor. As they settled into a dancing position, Sookie couldn't help but notice that their bodies seemed to fit together, despite the obvious height difference. This observation was doubly noted when Eric took one twirl as an opportunity to pull Sookie closer to him.

He continued to twirl Sookie around to the upbeat little ditty, pulling her tight to him at the song change. When the band switched numbers, a lovely little brunette joined them on stage. One brief second of silence, and the singer broke into the signature opening of Etta James' "At Last".

As the song built up, Sookie was sure she could have melted right there on the spot if Eric wasn't holding her up…and so close to his body. In fact, their close proximity was largely the culprit of her current near-liquid status. Every time they moved, Sookie could feel every one of Eric's tight muscles, especially a particular one that was currently pressed into her stomach. But however gelatinous Sookie was feeling at that moment, Eric was just as turned on by the feeling of Sookie's curvy little frame under his hands and against his body. He managed to dip her as the song ended; when he pulled her back up, her pretty blonde locks cascaded and bounced around her face. She was beautiful.

Sookie was still a little shaky as Eric lead her back to their table. In light of another gin and tonic, Sookie ordered herself a glass of ice water with a lemon wedge. She needed to cool down, and that water glass was about as close as she could get to a cold shower at that moment. Eric ordered another TruBlood, and the two of them drank quickly and in silence. They both knew that the subject of last night would have to be discussed, but that a jazz bar wasn't exactly the place to do it.

The ride back to Sookie's apartment was equally as silent, alarmingly so. It was when Eric's corvette glided up to her building when Sookie decided to bite the bullet, so to speak. She turned to Eric and asked, "Do you want to come inside?" She quickly added, "and talk."

He responded with, "I thought you'd never ask." Such an answer should have sounded forward and cocky, but Eric said it in a way that was almost…well, relieved. Sookie directed Eric down a little side street and into the carport allotted for the buildings tenants. After parking the 'vette next to Sookie's rather old hunk of junk, the two walked to the back entrance to the building, with Eric's arm around Sookie's shoulders.

"I love that color on you, by the way," he whispered as she was unlocking the back door, causing her to nearly drop her keys. There went that dress-colored blush again.

Sookie managed to stammer out a "thank you" before finally unlocking the damned door. As they wandered towards Sookie's apartment, Eric's hands wandered down to her waist, and she swore that at any minute he was just going to pick her up and whisk her upstairs to her place. And, strangely enough, she wouldn't have actually minded if he did.

Once they made it into the apartment, Sookie noticed that there was no sign of Amelia. There was, however, a note. It was on the kitchen counter and in it Amelia explained that she was staying the weekend with Tray, but she had popped by the apartment to pick up some clothes and things._ Great_, Sookie thought, _now I don't even have her as a buffer_.

_And you even want a buffer? _her less-rational side inquired. _I mean, shit, look at him!_ Sookie turned her attention to the blonde god in question. Eric was currently lounged on the couch, staring at her intently. Just as he had done the night before, he was currently patting the couch cushion he wasn't sitting on.

Sookie walked over and sat down, a little less reluctantly than she would have liked. "So about last night," she started.

After a brief pause from Sookie, Eric looked at her. "I'm all ears, darling."

"It's just that last night…last night you…you…I don't know," she sighed, feeling defeated.

Eric casually draped his arm over the back of the couch. "What do you mean you don't know. What could you possibly not know?"

"You, Eric. I don't know you."

He looked at her as if she had just grown a second head.

She continued, "One minute you're screwing Dahlia in your office and being all sarcastic-like about it. The next you're saving me from God-knows-what with Bill." Yeah, God knew all about what was going to happen last night, but then again, Sookie had a pretty good idea herself. "And after that you stay with me until I fall asleep, and you became comforting. And then tonight, tonight you take me out dancing." She fell back against the arm of the couch quite dramatically.

"You suggested the dancing, Sookie."

"That's not important!" Sookie responded, exasperated. "You just need to stop acting so…so bipolar." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Seriously, Sookie? Out of the two of us here, you think I'm the one who's being wishy-washy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Acting all innocent, but secretly relishing the way that I kiss you." She shot him a look. "Don't give me that, I know you do. Then you go out with that damned Were _and_ you beat the shit out of Dahlia."

"My going on a date with Alcide had nothing to do with you. And 'beating the shit out of Dahlia', as you so eloquently put it, had even less to do with you. I went out with Alcide because I wanted to. I hit Dahlia because she pissed me off."

"And why did she piss you off?"

"She kept accusing me of messing around with you in your office."

"We were making out in my office, Sookie. That's basically the same thing."

"Yeah, right. I wasn't riding you in your desk chair."

Eric took a brief moment to let that image float across his mind. "Whatever. Fact of the matter is, you're the one who keeps dancing around your true feelings. I've been nothing but honest about my desire for you from the beginning."

Sookie just sat there. Words escaped her, but more importantly, Eric was…right? Yes, he was right. Her hormones were in a constant game of ping pong due to this vampire. This man. Yes, more importantly, Eric was still a man. An absolutely stunning, blonde, 6-foot-whatever, mountain of a man. She sat there in silence contemplating a response to Eric's monologue.

Eric took that lull in the conversation to as an opportunity to decide a response for her.

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**Ack! Another cliffhanger! Before you guys beat me into oblivion, I couldn't just spill all my beans in one chapter could I? We've covered some deep shiznaz in this chapter, and it's also considerably longer than the last two chapters. So it's a win-win, right? Right? I know you guys are going to be all kinds of mad at me for cutting it off there, but look at it this way: now you guys can use the space between chapters to imagine up all sort of delicious responses for Eric to decide on. Sound good? Before I run and hide, I'd like to leave you with some notes. "At Last" is basically one of my favorite songs, I'm pretty sure I want to dance to it at my wedding (whenever that'll be). Ooo ooo and next chapter, the revelation of my ultra-cruel cliffhanger (I promise it'll be good), another theme night, and a new character. See, lotsa stuff to look forward too. Remember, I love you guys and you're the best group of readers on the entire planet. So press the green button and feed my addiction.**

**Until next time (which will be soon, I promise)**

**-Sydney**


	11. Shimmy

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: To clear up the last chapter/note drama, I've gotten a lot of mixed response as to whether to keep it the same or change to AH. I tallied up the responses, and I'm going keep it the same. I started writing from a more AH perspective, and it just didn't feel right. However, be on the look out for some AH stories from me in the future. Thanks for all your comments and opinions on this matter. I'm going to keep the supernatural aspect, but keep the politics out (they have the nasty tendency to mess things up). And thanks to everyone who pledged their loyalty to the story regardless. Also, I was originally going somewhere else with the whole window-less apartment thing, and I just never changed it. Reflectively, the whole idea sounds kind of retarded now, lol. So, let's just throw in some windows, and I'll go back and change it. **

**I'm throwing this chapter in as my gift to you guys, for putting up with my story identity crisis shit. It's completely relevant to the story, but we won't be back at Fangtasia until next chapter.**

**Thanks, and here is chapter eleven.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Eleven- Shimmy**

_Eric took that lull in the conversation to as an opportunity to decide a response for her. _

He grabbed Sookie by the shoulders, leaning over her, capturing her lips in a kiss. Sookie's heart did a flip-flop, which was followed by her body doing some moving of its own while it tried to sync with her brain. Her whole being was desperately trying to figure out if this was what she wanted with Eric.

If she were to put down that front she had been hiding behind since she first fell into Eric's arms at Fangtasia, then the answer would be yes, this was exactly what she wanted. But that didn't mean that there still weren't any apprehensions. First, she was still a virgin. She was pretty sure that Eric wouldn't mind, seeing as she was drawing some blood-sex conclusions of her own from things she had been told. What disconcerted _her_ was the sheer size of him, if what she had felt while they were dancing was any indication.

Something else got to her as well-- the fact that Eric could be fucking Dahlia. When she thought about it, it seemed highly unlikely; they hadn't interacted in some time, to Sookie's knowledge anyway. Whether or not he was doing Dahlia, Sookie still didn't like the fact that he seemed so nonchalant about their relationship…or whatever it was. It only seemed like she was someone to feed from and get his rocks off. Sookie wasn't that type of girl. She never would be, and she didn't want that from someone who she'd be romantically involved with. Especially since Eric would be her first. _But he had been so sweet…_she told herself.

Sweet or not, Sookie needed some answers from him, and she needed them before this went any further. She placed her dainty hands on his chest and pulled away from him.

"Eric, wait."

"What's wrong, Sookie?"

"This is." Eric genuinely looked taken aback. She continued, "At least it will be if we don't clear some things up first." He looked at her a second before nodding.

"Are you still…intimate…with Dahlia?" she asked in a voice that she didn't realize sounded almost like a whisper.

"No. I haven't touched that fangbanger since--" Sookie put a finger up to his lips. Gauging by her reaction, Eric figured it probably wouldn't bode well for him if he started sucking on them, as much as he wanted to. He waited for her to speak instead.

"That brings me to my next question. How can you be so uncaring about whatever relationship with Dahlia you have?"

"_Had,_" he corrected. "And to be perfectly honest with you Sookie, it wasn't that much of a relationship. I was lonely, she was available. And I also might add that she has slept with a few other vampires that have been in and out of the club. She needs to realize that the bouncers see everything," he said the last part almost to himself.

Now it was Sookie's turn to be surprised. Out of all the responses she thought Eric would give her, his loneliness certainly wasn't one of them. The part about Dahlia and the other vamps, on the other hand, not shocking in the least. Then something occurred to her.

"And you're not lonely now? Am I another availability?" She didn't mean for it to come out so harshly, she just felt it had to be asked.

Eric let out an unnecessary breath. "Well I'd be lying if I said I wasn't lonely. I've been feeling lonely even with Dahlia for awhile. I don't know what it is, but I've felt something for you since I caught you on your first night at Fangtasia. Whatever it may be, it's different, I like it, and it's worth exploring. And, Sookie, while you maybe be available, you are certainly not an availability."

Eric pulled Sookie back to him, kissing her lips softly. One hand rested on the small of Sookie's back, while the other slid down the hem of her little red dress. Whatever she had been thinking previously, all bets were off now after Eric's latest confession. She pressed her lips more forcefully against Eric's, deepening their kiss.

Eric took Sookie's response to his kiss as a green light. He moved over her, causing her body to lean back onto the arm of the couch, her head resting on the pillow that sat there. The hand that rested by the hem of her dress began to slide back up, taking the dress with it. Eric pushed the dress up until it pooled around her waist. It must have been uncomfortable, because Sookie started to squirm.

"Sookie?"

"This dress, the material is stiff. Help me out of it?" Eric didn't have to be told twice. Within seconds, the zipper was down and the dress was on the floor. Once the dress was discarded, Eric's mouth was back on Sookie. He ran his lips, with a hint of fang, down from Sookie's mouth, to her collarbone.

A small moan escaped her lips once she was freed from the restricting fabric on that dress. Her hands found their way up and tangled themselves in Eric's blonde mane as he ran his tongue across her collar and down toward her breasts. Pausing a moment, Eric shucked the little strapless bra that Sookie was wearing. Sookie took this pause to start helping Eric shed _his_ clothes. As she went for his button-down shirt, Eric went back for her mouth.

"Just rip it open," he murmured into her mouth after a few seconds of undoing buttons. Sookie complied, jerking the black fabric open, causing buttons to fly around the living room. She snatched his undershirt off as well, adding it to the growing pile of disregarded clothing.

Sookie arched up into Eric's body, assuming a seat straddled on his lap. She placed a few feather-light kisses along his jaw line, which elicited a growl from Eric. Accompanying that growl, Eric lifted Sookie up and tackled her back down on the couch, on her back. He made a motion for his belt buckle, but Sookie put her hand over his.

"Eric, wait." Eric ceased messing with his pants and looked at her.

"I'm not trying to put a damper on this, really, I'm not. It's just that…I…I meant to tell you this before…"

"Sookie, you can tell me anything." He wasn't lying. In fact, she had already told him a lot of things he wasn't sure he wanted to hear. He was ready for anything else she felt like telling him.

"Eric, I'm still a virgin." Well, anything except that. He found it incredibly hard to believe that this vivacious blonde was untouched. Apparently his disbelief translated into a look on his face, because when he snapped back to reality, he was met with said blonde's gaze. "What?"

"You can't be…really?"

Her confused gaze turned to one of shock. "What do you mean I can't be? What kind of a girl do you think I am?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders in a conciliatory manner. "Sookie, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised. It's not something one encounters nowadays."

Sookie had to admit that Eric had a point. Patience was indeed no longer a virtue, no pun intended, anymore. "Ok, Eric. I understand. I just thought I should mention it since we were probably going to…you know."

Eric couldn't help but laugh a little at her shyness, which completely made sense to him now. "_Were_? I still would like to," he cleared his throat, "I mean if you do."

Sookie pulled him back to her. "Of course I still do, silly. Why the hell would I be sitting here in my panties if I didn't?" Eric smiled a fangy smile in her direction.

"Panties? Oh yes, that reminds me." With a tug, Sookie's lacy panties were on the floor. He placed a kiss on her temple while his large hands slid down her abdomen. His hands moved down over her hips in a 'v' motion, coming together at the little pile of blonde curls. They then separated; one hand massaged circles into the skin on Sookie's lower stomach, the other traveled further south.

Eric gingerly ran a single finger down her center. Sookie squirmed against his hand, bringing her hands back up into his hair. After testing her wetness, Eric brought his hand back up to his mouth and licked his finger, an absolutely predatory look spread across his face.

"Delicious." His hands went back to his belt, but, interestingly enough, Sookie beat him to it. She managed to get it unbuckled, but her hands betrayed her when it came to his fly and started to shake. She managed to pull it together and started to push his slacks down over his hips.

"No underwear, Eric? Really?" she commented at the lack of fabric she came upon.

"I find them to be uncomfortable. That, and they get in the way." He quirked an eyebrow at her; Sookie blushed, she couldn't help it.

"That color looks lovely on you, too," he remarked with a light laugh. He pushed his pants the rest of the way off, much to Sookie's anticipation…and slight shock. He was _huge_. Whatever she had felt earlier had surely not prepared her for the sight before her.

"Oh my." Those were the only two words that she could grasp, and she was thrilled that it didn't come out 'My oh'.

Eric flashed her another toothy grin. Then something occurred to him and he leaped up as if he had just been shocked, or burned.

"Holy shit, Eric. What the hell?" Sookie found her words, not the most ladylike ones, but words nonetheless. Without a response, he scooped Sookie up and rushed her into the room that had been pre-established as her bedroom. After being deposited on the bed, she just stared at him. "I ask you again, what the hell?"

After joining her on the bed, he regarded her questioning. "I don't want your first time to be on a fucking couch. I figured you'd agree."

She couldn't do anything but nod furiously at the naked Viking kneeling in front of her, seeing as the alternative would be starting the waterworks at his act of compassion. After the head bobbing ceased, Sookie did the next logical thing that fleeted across her mind: she launched herself at Eric, connecting their mouths again.

After a few more heated moments of kissing, touching, and grabbing, Eric flipped Sookie with ease so that both her head was on the pillow and she was under him. His hand trailed down between their bodies, positioning himself at Sookie's entrance.

He decided to forego the tradition 'Now I know this is going to hurt, but…' speech and decided to verify Sookie's decision with a simple. "Are you ready?"

"As much as I'm going to be. But yes, I am."

"Good, because I don't think I would have let you get away after seeing you like this." He made a sweeping gesture to her naked body before him. He had pushed in a couple of inches when he was met with resistance. He stole a look up at Sookie, who responded by gently wrapping a leg around his waist.

"Please, just do it."

Eric pushed the rest of the way in, which was a considerable length. "Fuck, Sookie," he growled as he pulled out a little before thrusting back in. "Amazing." After a few more thrusts, he lifted Sookie's other leg and wrapped it around his waist. He then took his hands and scooped them under her bottom, tilting her pelvis for a deeper angle.

This earned him a loud moan from Sookie, who had recently made the transition from considerable pain to considerable pleasure. After said transition, she started to become more of an active participant, bucking her hips to meet Eric's thrusts. After about six more of those deeper thrust, Sookie began to see stars as she closed her eyes.

"Sookie? Open your eyes, lover." She looked up at him, but he punctuated his sentence with a thrust that had Sookie set back to thrashing around on the bed, screaming his name as she toppled over the peak. Eric must have been right there with her, because Sookie could only manage a breathy moan when he bit the junction of her neck and left shoulder.

Eric managed to collapse with a certain grace that could only be afforded to a vampire, almost gliding to a position that was half on top of Sookie, half on the mattress. He ran a hand over her stomach, trailing it up between her breasts, ending at the bite mark that now adorned her skin. He lowered his mouth to it, running his tongue across it, licking at the little spots of blood that were starting to dry on her shoulder. "Exquisite," he commented as he raised his lips back to Sookie's.

Sookie felt sleep start to tug at her body. She gave Eric one last kiss and laid back on the pillow.

"Thank you," she whispered as she let sleep overtake her.

* * *

**So was it good for you? Sorry that this took a lot longer to write than I thought it would. Once again sorry about my little freak out about the direction of the story. Thanks to everyone who contributed opinions once again, and I'll be back with more very soon.**


	12. Skirting Around

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: As promised, I worked diligently to produce this chapter as fast as I possibly could. I'm still in the moving back in and doing major overhaul on my room process, so I'm not as focused as I probably could be, but it's all good. I hope you enjoyed that pure citrus last chapter, there should be some more located somewhere in this chapter as well ;). I'm just gonna throw this out there before I get cracking on chapter twelve: I originally intended to tack chapter eleven and part of this chapter as part of chapter ten, but then I wrote my cliffhanger line and was all like "nope, that's perfect, I'm just going to leave it there." And I'm so glad that I did, you guys seemed to enjoy it.**

**Last thing, I promise, some announcements (I know I posted this exact same thing in the latest chapter of Drawn, but I know that most people don't read both): Drawn will most likely conclude at chapter 18, possibly 19. I've decided to make Stiletto a running story until it jumps the shark, so to speak. I've also been concocting some E/S one-shots and potentially an E/OC story, so if you're a fan of my writing style, those are in the works. Other than that, I'm all ears to story suggestions from you guys, for the fans of my style again. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Twelve- Skirting Around**

Sookie awoke a couple of hours later due to the necessity to relieve some needs involving the bathroom. That taken care of, she wandered her way back across the hall into her room. She was met with Eric sitting up in bed, watching Sookie and trying his damnedest to suppress a laugh. A laugh that was due to the fact that Sookie wandered back in the room like a petite, feminine version of John Wayne. "What?" she asked him.

"You just look…well, saddle sore."

"And you're a pretty big stallion, Eric," she replied without missing a beat. Eric probably didn't need an ego boost, but Sookie couldn't resist that little comeback.

Eric couldn't resist laughing out loud at that one. "So I am." When Sookie sat back down on the bed, Eric wrapped his large arms around her now robe-clad body. "I can help you with that, you know," he offered, slipping the silk fabric off Sookie's shoulders.

"You can? You don't have some kind of magical Advil, do you?"

Eric smiled another of those sly smiles. "No, nothing like that. I can help you with my blood." Now, Sookie had heard a thing or two about vampire blood, but anything she had heard had been drug-related. She now sported a semi-wigged out expression on her face.

"You're not suggesting that I…that you want me to…" and here her voice turned into a whisper, "…drink your blood?"

Eric laughed again. "Nothing so extreme, darling. Just lay back." She was still a little bit skeptical, but some large part of her trusted the blonde vampire, so she did as she was told. From her position on the bed, she couldn't really see what was going on, nor did she really want to. She could hear Eric moving around a little bit, and she could certainly feel him when he placed a single blood-coated finger inside her. She wasn't sure how that would help, but she went with it, and as strange as it might seem, with all of that going on, Sookie felt back asleep.

---

When she woke up the second time, she was disappointingly sans vampire. She was, however, a whole lot less sore in the downstairs area. After rolling out of bed, she caught a glance at the little digital clock on her nightstand; 2pm it glowed in neon green. She headed out into the living room first, in order to check the cell phone that she so thoughtfully discarded before getting naked with Eric. _Oh and what a fabulous nakedness it was_, she thought devilishly as she picked up her phone.

There was a text message from Amelia. Two words, '_THEME NIGHT!_', were printed on the tiny screen. Sookie was actually kind of excited, seeing as the last theme night turned out to be more fun than she thought it would be. She typed in as excited a response as she could in a text, hit send, and then hit the shower.

One steamy bout of cleansing later, Sookie was back in the living room due to her phone making noise, the signal of a text message. Well, it was actually two text messages. The first one was a response from Amelia: '_Excellent. Oh, and bring a white button-down shirt._' That message left Sookie none the wiser to the theme, so she shrugged and headed back in her bedroom, phone in hand. After pulling the shirt out of her closet, she opened up the second message. It was from Eric: '_Heard tonight was another theme night. Excited to see you in whatever it is they've got planned ;k_.' She studied the last two characters for a bit before she realized that it was Eric's version of a smiley face emoticon. Her focus then shifted back to the actual message. _Well hell_, she thought. _No pressure there_.

Sookie threw on a casual blue tank top and a pair of jeans, stowing the button-down in her purse. The walk to work went by faster than usual for some unknown reason. After entering Fangtasia, she made a beeline for the dressing room, which was where Amelia had said to meet her. The first person she encountered, however, was Pam, who was wearing a very cute-looking Fangtasia robe.

"Blondie," was the greeting that Sookie received, which she thought was amusing, considering Pam was blonde as well. "Tonight's theme night should be good," she commented before walking back into the costume room. She made a motion over her shoulder for Sookie to follow. Sookie supposed Pam had found a middle ground between being curt and being chatty in her conversations. Not to be saying that Pam was overly chatty in the one and only significant talk that she had with Sookie. She watched Pam retrieve something out of one of the two large cardboard boxes that Amelia was perched behind. It was something…_plaid_. Pam started to walk out into the dressing area, but she turned around and looked at Sookie when she reached the doorway.

"I heard that you took my advice. From the looks of it, I'd say you have a pretty nice right hook." Pam was laughing the whole way out of the room. Said laugh seemed to capture Amelia's attention away from whatever she was doing in the boxes.

"Sookie! You're here!" she exclaimed, standing up and bouncing over to the blonde, giving her a short hug. Then she was back on the boxes, rummaging. "Your outfit is around here somewhere…I just saw it." The way that Amelia identified a particular outfit as her own made her a little skeptical, but a little excited at the same time. She _had_ gotten the best Moulin Rouge costume, after all.

Amelia bounced back up, two pieces of fabric in tow. The first piece Sookie was handed was a tiny, white pleated skirt, which had a red stripe around the bottom. The second piece of clothing she was given was a tiny red cardigan that was trimmed in white. It also had a large white 'F' (for Fangtasia, she guessed) printed on one side. Sookie went to her purse and pulled her button-down out.

"Oh, I guess you didn't need that after all," Amelia commented, almost to herself.

"What do you mean?"

"The cardi, that's the top." Sookie raised an eyebrow at Amelia before studying the sweater in her hands. She supposed that if she was in for a penny, she may as well be in for a pound. Plus, Eric _had_ said he was excited to see her in her little outfit, so figured that she might as well give him something good.

She changed quickly, grabbed a pair of thigh-high red socks from Amelia's cardboard treasure chests, and tied her hair into loose pigtails using the two ribbons that her roommate had given her with a sly smile. Socks, hair, and Mary Jane heels in place, Sookie set out for the main floor. She had made a quick glance from behind the curtain; Eric wasn't out there yet. Sookie was actually kind of happy because she felt she needed a minute to adjust to her new ensemble before seeing him, of all people.

From that curtain-shielded vantage point, she did however see an unfamiliar someone. It was a girl, which was uncommon in it's own right in such an establishment, but it was the way that she was looking around that piqued Sookie's interest. She knew that look. That was the look of someone who was unsure of her surroundings, the look of someone who was looking for a particular person. Sookie had a feeling she knew who this girl was looking for.

"Hi there. Can I help you find someone?" She had wasted no time in approaching the brunette. In fact, Sookie was a little jealous of the girl's pretty long, curly black hair.

"Oh, yeah. I'm looking for a Sam Merlotte?" she asked, seemingly unsure of her pronunciation of Sam's last name.

"Sam? Sure, I'll take you right back to his office if you'd like," Sookie replied, without thinking.

"Thanks, that'd be great." She smiled at Sookie before extending her hand. "I'm Cicita, by the way. Cicita Montoya."

Sookie accepted the hand easily. "Sookie Stackhouse, pleased to meet ya." Sookie started walking towards the back of the club, Cicita at her side.

"If you don't mind me asking, Sookie, what is it exactly that you're wearing?"

Sookie had momentarily forgotten that she was in costume. She looked down and couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Oh, this? It's one of our theme nights. Tonight is slutty co-eds, I suppose," she said with a smile.

"That sounds like fun. Now I'm really hoping I get this job."

"Which job are you applying for?"

"Waitress. One of the dancers here, Cassidy, lives in my building. She said that there might be an opening, so here I am. What do you do here, Sookie?"

"Waitress, as well. My roommate, Amelia, is one of the dancers." Just then, they were at Sam's door. "Well, here we are. Oh, and if you get the job, come see me at the bar. I have a shirt that would work for the top half of your costume for tonight." She smiled at Cicita before scooting back down the hall pretty quickly, considering Eric's door was closed.

---

About twenty minutes later, Sookie was at the bar making sure there was a significant supply of sanitized glasses in every variety. She was pulling out a tray full of shot glasses when Cicita appeared in front of her. "Looks like everyone is gonna get to see my ass in one of those skirts tonight, girl."

Sookie smiled. It was kind of nice to have another waitress that _wasn't_ out to kick her ass. "Let's get you dressed then." Sookie grabbed her button-down out of her purse that was stashed in the cabinet in the waitress' area, and the two girls headed off to the dressing room.

When they got back into the changing area, the rest of the girls were back there getting ready. Sookie noticed that some of the girls were wearing plaid skirts with white button-downs, and some were wearing the same type of sweater that she was, but they were white with red lettering and their skirts were red with a white stripe. Amelia walked by her and she pulled her over by the arm. "Why am I the only one dressed almost completely in red?" Sookie had also noted that all the other girls were wearing white socks in various lengths.

"Red is Eric's favorite color," Amelia stated simply. "At least that's what Pam told me."

Sookie blushed a little, involuntarily. "So now you're in cahoots with Pam?"

Amelia waved her hand around, brushing her off and changing the subject. "So who is this you've brought back here?"

"This is Cicita, she's our newest waitress. Cicita, this is Amelia, my roommate." Cicita gave a smile and a little wave.

Amelia grabbed the hands of the brunette, stepping back and giving her a once over. "You're going to be as fun to dress as Sook is," she squealed, "you have such a great figure." Amelia was right; Sookie and Cicita were similar in body type, Cicita being the curvier of the two.

"I was thinking that there might be an extra plaid skirt back here or something? Because she can use the shirt that I brought since I've got this," Sookie said, pulling at the fabric of her cardigan-top.

"Oh yeah, we've got extras." Amelia smiled.

"Well, then, I'll leave you two to that." Sookie handed the shirt to Cicita. "I'm sure I'm needed out front. I'll see you out there, Ci." Cicita nodded before turning to Amelia's treasure chest.

Sookie headed back out onto the floor; still no Eric in sight. She shrugged, snagging her notepad off the bar. She had never been dependent on a man before, so why start now? _Because he fucks like a sex god, that's why_, her libido reasoned. Apparently her libido wasn't the most ladylike speaker. Sookie herself reasoned that it might be a side effect of losing her virginity to him. Either way, she found herself wanting to see him, so she took three tables orders, filled them, and headed towards the back.

Eric must have been thinking the same thing, because he met her halfway, by the back bathroom, site of many an encounter for some unknown reason. He met her halfway, meaning he stopped dead in his tracks at first glimpse. Sookie continued to walk up to him and after looking around, Eric picked her up and carried her back to his office.

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**Sorry guys, it's another cliffhanger. I'm starting to enjoy them. *laughs evilly* At least this one wasn't too dramatic. I just didn't want to put out one mondo chapter and then make you guys wait awhile for the next one. Plus, I wanted to get this out tonight (well, technically it's a little past midnight here, but whatev.) So lemme know whatcha think!**

**-Sydney**


	13. Radar

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: Um, I really don't have too much to say here. Thanks for the comments and such, you guys are awesome, as always. Words on the new character, Cicita: Fear not, she is no eminent threat to the Eric-Sookie love fest that is sure to ensue. Haha. But she is going to be a lot of fun to have in here. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of theme night, cause I haven't even gotten into the good stuff yet. Oh, and I added a link to Sookie's costume for this theme night in my profile.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Thirteen- Radar**

_Sookie continued to walk up to him and after looking around, Eric picked her up and carried her back to his office._

After setting Sookie on her feet, Eric made a pointed display of shutting the door to his office. "So when's the big game, Sookie?" he asked, smirking and leaning against the door.

"I was hoping after work?" She gave him what she was hoping was a suggestive look.

"Of course, lover." Sookie shivered a bit at her new nickname. "But I was thinking we could squeeze in a practice session now." His voice had dropped an octave and he started walking Sookie back towards his desk.

When her butt bumped against Eric's desk, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. He smoothed his lips against hers, flicking his tongue against her bottom lip before seeking entrance. Entrance that was quickly granted as Sookie was hoisted onto his desk in a sitting position. Their tongues mingled for what seemed like a torturous eternity, before Eric brought his lips across her cheek and down her neck, lavishing both of those parts of her with light kisses.

Sookie placed a hand on Eric's chin, cupping it and bringing him back up to face her. Their lips melded together again, but this time Sookie felt Eric's wandering hand skirt up her thigh to her…well, her skirt. He had flipped it up a little bit before Sookie got a grip on the situation. She pushed the little scrap of fabric down and his hand away.

"I'm still not having sex with you in your office, Eric." He growled a bit in response, but pulled away.

"We only got one round in last night, I'm just making up for lost ground." He smirked a bit with this sentence.

"I'm not doing this," she said with a sweeping gesture, "at work. I'm not Dahlia." She spit the redhead's name with distaste. She knew it was catty, but she knew that Dahlia had already said and thought some less-than-savory things about her, so what the hell?

Eric rubbed small circles into Sookie's thighs with his thumbs. "Don't belittle yourself with that comparison."

"But belittling myself is exactly what I'd be doing if I had sex with you on the clock," Sookie reasoned as she hopped down off the desk.

"Fair enough. But you're wearing that little get-up when I walk you home." He smiled, with fangs. "Which reminds me, you should have called me instead of walking here alone tonight."

She gave him a confused look. "Like I said before, the bouncers see everything." Sookie huffed and started to protest, but Eric cut her off. "Don't even try it, you know walking alone at night is stupid, especially considering…" he searched for a euphemism "…the circumstances."

Sookie didn't have a response to that. Eric was actually right again. _Damn him_. She was, however, a little touched that he cared about her well-being. She stepped to him and ran a hand up and down his arm. "Thanks for looking out for me, and I would be very happy if you walked me home." She then added, "Even if it means I have to wear this skimpy-ass skirt home."

"It was simply a suggestion, Sookie. A strong one, but a suggestion nonetheless."

Sookie shot him a flirty smile. "But it's the least I can do, with you escorting me and all." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Are you coming out front tonight?"

"I haven't missed a theme night yet, lover. Plus, I'll get to see you prance around in your little skirt."

Sookie smiled again, she really couldn't help it. "Great." She turned on her heel and walked out of the office, perhaps with a little sashay in her step for Eric's benefit.

---

Eric made it out of his office in time for the evening's Dollhouse Dance. The song of choice was, not surprisingly, Britney Spears' _Baby One More Time_. When the song started playing, Eric immediately realized why Sam stopped by his office to gripe about the play list. While the song selection wasn't his cup of tea, figuratively speaking of course, he couldn't help but appreciate the fact that song was causing a certain little blonde to shake her assets while working around the bar.

Eric also noticed an unfamiliar long-haired brunette bopping around the bar as well. Running on the assumption that she was the new waitress Sam had mentioned during his Britney Spears-induced rant, he turned his attention to the blonde that was approaching him.

"Pam."

"From your open mouth staring, I'd gather that you're enjoying my costume selection for your new waitress?"

Eric glared at Pam for a moment before responding. "I'd appreciate it if you'd call her by her given name, Pam. And don't even think about nicknaming her after a drink." Eric could only imagine what Pam would come up with.

"Relax, darling," she drawled. "I happen to like her. Definitely an improvement over the re-- I mean, the last one. And as far as nicknames go, you're no fun," she stated as she got up and wiggled her plaid-clad ass backstage.

Eric found his gaze slipping back towards the bar, where Sookie and the new Latina waitress were still dancing, only now they were dancing together. He smiled and stood up, walking over to the bar in the menial amount of strides that only someone of Eric's stature could successfully pull off. "I might have to put you ladies up on stage if you keep that dancing up." Eric spoke to both girls, but his gaze remained mostly on Sookie.

Sookie let out a giggle before lightly swatting Eric on the arm. "Not a chance, mister." Before Eric could say anything, she slipped on a mask of professionalism. "Mr. Northman, this is Cicita Montoya, new waitress extraordinaire; Cicita, this is Eric Northman, owner of this here fine establishment." Sookie smiled as the two exchanged pleasantries, moving back toward the bar to finish the round of martinis they had been working on for one of the larger tables. She then handed one of the trays to Cicita, grabbing the second one herself.

Sookie stole a glance at Eric as she left the waitress' area. He craned down to whisper, "I wonder if I could arrange a private dance later", in her ear as she walked by. Sookie let out a visible shudder which caused a smile to play at Eric's lips. He watched her go off to deliver her drinks, but spun around shortly after, snatching a little hand that hand that had just touched his shoulder.

---

"So that's the boss man, huh?" Cicita commented as she distributed her martinis around the large table. Sookie murmured affirmatively as she divvied out her share of the drinks; the two girls met at the end of the table. "You two seemed awfully chummy back there," Cicita remarked, raising her eyebrow at her new friend.

Sookie paused for a minute during their trek back to the bar. "We kind of are. But don't say anything, I've already earned an enemy because of what she thinks was supposedly going on. She can't know that something actually is."

"Don't worry, chica, your secret is safe with me. Said enemy wouldn't be that pin-up looking redhead, would it? She's been giving me dirty looks all night, and I didn't know why. I guess it's 'cause I was talking with you."

"Yeah, Dahlia, that's her. And your probably right in your reasoning, too." Sookie shrugged, pushing the swinging fence-door to the waitress' area open.

---

"Why aren't you working?" Eric asked the redhead, whose hand he had just dropped to the wayside after turning around to face her.

"I am. I just thought you might need some help in the back." A smile played at her ruby-painted lips.

Eric's voice dropped to barely being above a whisper. "Why can't you just get a clue, Dahlia. Move on with the guys you've been leaving with over the past month or so. And if you value your job here, you'll steer clear of me." He almost sighed to himself, thinking about how much easier it would be if he was able to glamour Dahlia. He also figured that adding Sookie to the list of people that Dahlia should avoid would just add fuel to the fire; it was best for now that she just think that it was her whoring around that was causing his disinterest.

Dahlia pulled her notepad out of her apron and stalked off to the farthest table away from both the bar and Eric. Eric headed back to his office.

---

Sookie was starting to consider tonight's theme night a screaming success. She had found a new friend in Cicita, she had plans with Eric for after work, and she hadn't seen much of Dahlia the entire night. So needless to say, as things were winding down for the night, Sookie was sporting a huge smile. The only problem she could think of at the moment was having Britney's _Radar _stuck in her head after Amelia's solo. Having it on constant replay in her head wasn't all too bad, except that the words of the song were really resonating with her and her...whatever it was she had with Eric. Deciding to table those thoughts for now, Sookie busied herself with closing and humming her song. She was wiping down the bar, while Cicita was trying to lift the garbage when Quinn approached them. "You ladies need any help?"

Sookie looked up at him, then over at Cicita. A wicked thought crossed her mind. "I'm all set here, but I think Cicita might need some help with that heavy garbage there." Cicita hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, but at the mention of her name, her head shot up. She gave Sookie an incredulous look, to which Sookie responded with one of complete innocence. _Well he is kind of good-looking_, Cicita thought as she let Quinn pick up the huge garbage bag they had been using that night. It was full, and Cicita knew she probably wouldn't have been able to carry it herself anyway, so she was pretty happy on that front as well.

"That's what I thought," Sookie said to herself as she watched the two of them walk off to take out the trash. She finished up her closing duties and a couple minutes later Cicita walked back into the bar.

"That was really sneaky, Sook, but thanks."

"I have no idea what you mean by sneaky, you just looked like you could use some help with that huge garbage bag, that's all." Sookie couldn't hide her huge grin, though.

"Yeah, yeah. Quinn seems like a nice guy. Cute, too."

"From the couple of interactions I've had with him, he seems like a good guy."

"Well, we'll see how it goes…since we exchanged numbers." Cicita was beaming, and Sookie gave her new friend a hug. "Well, Cassidy is heading out, so I guess I'm leaving too. See you tomorrow, Sook."

"Have a safe trip home, Ci." After Cicita and Cassidy had left, Sookie noticed that everyone else had cleared out of the club. Everything was cleaned and stacked, and the front doors were locked up, so Sookie headed back to Eric's office. The door was slightly ajar when she got to the back, so she gave it a slight knock out of sheer politeness.

"Come in," was what Sookie heard from the other side of that door, so she strolled in to find Eric on the phone, the back of his tall chair facing her. He concluded his conversation shortly after and turned his attention to Sookie.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Eric had switched to shuffling through some papers on his desk, so his simply crooked his fingers in an effort to get Sookie to go closer to him. When he noticed that she hadn't moved, he looked up to see her lounged on the couch across from his desk.

"Come here please, Sookie."

"No thanks, I'm quite content here. I'll just wait until you're done." She appeared to be messing with her fingernails.

"I'm quite done."

"Then let's get going, it's been a long night."

"Not until you come over here, Sookie."

"I know what you're up to, mister. And I'm not having any of it. I made my feelings about your office and sex quite clear earlier, so you will either escort me home like the lady I am or I'm leaving alone." Sookie stood up and started for the door.

Eric couldn't help but be impressed by the little blonde's resolve. He could smell the start of her arousal and he had a feeling that she longed to be dominated, if only just a little bit, by him. In a flash, Eric had Sookie pinned up against the door, with her back against his chest. He ran a hand up the back of her leg, flipping the back of her little skirt up.

He placed an open mouth kiss on her throat. "I would just like to point out that you're no longer on the clock," he breathed against her skin. "If you want me to stop, all you have to do is say so. But something tells me you might be into it." Eric ran his fangs across the skin of her shoulder. "Just tell me if you want to stop," he whispered.

"Ung…don't stop," Sookie managed to breathe out. Eric extracted himself from his pants at the speed of light.

"That's what I thought," he mused as he entered Sookie in one stroke. She cried out loudly, but after assuring herself that no damage had been done, that cry slowly became a moan of pleasure as Eric pulled out and thrust into her again.

She really didn't have any comments or suggestions to make, so she let herself be overcome by this man, this vampire; the only sounds from the two of them were Sookie's loud moaning and screaming and Eric's throaty growls.

* * *

**Ok, so I'm fully aware that I didn't wrap up this scene of lemony goodness. It'll come next chapter, I promise. I really just wanted to get this out to appease the huddled masses, lol. Since you guys are such a great audience, I've decided to post a snippet from my latest brain child. It's untitled, so I was hoping that maybe some of you creative people could give me some idears, since you guys have been awesome coming up with stuff for theme nights. Before I put the snippet in here, I'm gonna say a few words about it. This story is a lemony one about an art class, actually inspired by a story that a friend told me at art school, I just embellished a lot and added some ESN with our sexy Viking. Anywho, I need a title for it. I'm also probably going to start it out as a one-shot and if anyone likes it, I'll go from there. Without further ado, here's the snippet:**

_I honestly don't even know why I'm here_. That's what I was thinking as I strolled up to the double doors of Anderson Hall. Truth was, I did know what I was there, and it had everything to do with my roommate, Amelia. Her, and her quest to get me to be "well-rounded", or something along those lines. So that was how I, Sookie Stackhouse-- journalism major, ended up registered for a Drawing I class.

**So that's that. I'm sorry that this chapter of Stiletto took me longer than usual to write, I have no clue why. The next chapter should be out pretty soon, as well as the one-shot I mentioned above, provided I figure out a title.**

**XOXO**

**-Sydney**


	14. Satine

**Stiletto.**

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******A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews and adds and the like. I was kind of hesitant about the way I developed the last chapter, but it seems you guys were really into what I did…esp. the door sex part, lol. So, once again you guys are awesome. Oh, and your suggestions for the title of my new story were really awesome, so thanks to all who suggested something, and keep 'em coming. I am just having a blast and a half writing that little number.**

**Enjoy, and I'll meet ya at the bottom!**

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**Chapter Fourteen- Satine**

After Eric had given Sookie her first orgasm of the evening up against the wall, he gracefully moved their tangled mass of limbs to his desk. After placing her, chest down, on the desk, he began to move again inside of her. Despite the fact that she was currently bent over a very uncomfortable wooden desk, in her boss's office no less, Sookie couldn't deny the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Eric thrust roughly into her a couple more times before he turned her around to face him. Sookie leaned forward in an effort to connect their mouths again, to which Eric responded. Their tongues came together quickly, moving together in a fluid rhythm as Eric continued his pace below. Not too long after, Sookie felt herself build up again, and when Eric reached between them to flick her nub, she was done for. She screamed his name again, gripping his shoulders like a vice, as she rode out her orgasm. She imagined that Eric finished shortly afterwards, because the next thing that she knew, he had pulled out and had his pants back on. She found herself confused and a little empty at the loss.

"I've still got to get you home, lover," said Eric, as if he knew what she was thinking. "And as much as I wouldn't mind carrying you, I know you'd much rather walk yourself." He flashed her a cocky smile.

Sookie wanted nothing more than to rush across the room and smack that stupid smirk right off of Eric's face, but when she hopped off of the desk, she proved Eric's statement correct by wobbling for a minute. "Damn heels," she muttered, refusing to give him any satisfaction. Sookie also refused to look at him, choosing instead to look down at the heels in question and start for the door.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok to walk? We could drive."

"Walking is fine," Sookie responded, never one to refuse a challenge. In all honesty, she really wasn't that sore. What she was feeling was skirting that fine line between pleasure and pain, and her whole body was buzzing because of it. On her trip to Eric's office door, she managed to readjust her outfit. "I don't still have to wear this home, do I?"

"Oh, yes," answered Eric as he glided up next to Sookie, opening the office door. He gave her a playful smack on the butt as she passed him going into the hallway.

"You suck, you know," Sookie blurted out. Once she realized what she said, she was overcome with a fit of giggles. She braced herself against the wall for a second, trying to calm herself. But it was one of _those_ laughing fits. Laughing hysterically, Sookie tried to use her breaks in giggles to speak. "But you do know that you suck…ha ha…," she gasped for breath, "cause you're…you're a vampire. So of course…ha ha…of course you know!" Towards the end of her sentence, her tone got really high pitched.

Sookie stole a glance at Eric, who was staring at her intently. As he was leaning against the wall opposite of her, he was wearing a clearly amused expression. He thought Sookie's little outburst was incredibly cute; her reaction to it was just icing on the proverbial cake. He started to laugh with her, amazed that they could go from having incredible rough sex to laughing about something silly.

"Then perhaps we should head home. I can show you how much I really…_suck_," Eric suggested, the leer in his voice unmistakable. Sookie made eye contact with him, shuddered a bit, and then swallowed.

By this time, Eric had already moved to the back door and had opened it. After they made it outside, Sookie turned to look back at him. "Maybe we could drive home?"

Eric smiled, knowing his early statement was starting to have its effect on her. "No, lover. You decided to walk, and so we will walk. Besides, it's a beautiful night tonight." He took a couple steps and then waited for Sookie to join him.

Sookie sighed; she knew defeat when she heard it. Eric had a thousand years of will power to her twenty-something. Besides, it really was a beautiful night. The sky was clear and the stars were really bright. It took a couple of seconds before Sookie realized that she hadn't moved, was staring at the sky, and Eric was still a couple paces ahead, waiting.

As she approached him, she made a motion to touch his shoulder. Eric grabbed her hand and for a moment, Sookie thought he was going to drop it away from him. Instead, he laced it around his arm, pulling her closer as they started to walk. Sookie swallowed hard and turned to look at him. "You're not mad about my little giggle attack back there, are you? I mean, what I said?" Eric didn't respond for a second, so Sookie continued, "Because I didn't mean anything by it. Just a slip of the tongue, you know?"

She was rambling now, and Eric pulled them to a halt. "Sookie, it's fine. In fact, I found it quite…endearing. But, that doesn't make my rebuttal any less true when we get back to your apartment." He saw her shiver again and was satisfied.

After her quivering subsided, Sookie was back to her challenging self. "And who's to say I even want you to come inside with me?"

"Oh, Sookie," Eric laughed. "You'll want me there, don't you worry about that." They had started walking again at this point. It was a couple of minutes before Sookie spoke again, as they were rounding the corner onto her street.

"If you say so." She paired this statement with a smile. Not too long after that, Sookie and Eric were making their way back to Sookie's apartment via the front entrance. Once they were at her door, she fished her keys out of her purse before turning to Eric.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night," she said, in her best attempt at seriousness. Eric placed a hand above her head and leaned against the doorframe.

"But Sookie, I've yet to make good on my promise about you, me, and that outfit."

"But Eric," she echoed, "I do believe that the office sex fulfils your promise regarding this outfit. Besides, I walked home in it, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. Which is exactly why I want to have you again. But if you're sure my promise has been thoroughly fulfilled, then I will see you tomorrow when I pick you up." Eric turned and started heading down the hall.

Sookie let out a loud puff of air before speaking. "Damn it, Eric, get your gorgeous ass back here. I was kidding." Eric was already around the corner, so she had to raise her voice a little. It was loud enough to be perceived by vampire ears, but not loud enough to alert her neighbors. Eric was in front of her in a millisecond.

"So my ass is gorgeous now, is it?" he asked as Sookie opened her apartment door. She just nodded as they made their way back to her bedroom. Eric fulfilled his promise three more times that night.

---

Sookie woke up around 5:30 the following afternoon, surprised that she managed to sleep that late. She was, of course, alone, but she found herself upset at her solo state. The first time, she was happy because she at least had a little bit of time with Eric, even if it was to use the bathroom and have him heal her. But now, now she just felt like she'd been one night standed. Sookie knew that the whole thing was due to a situation beyond either of their control, but she couldn't help how she felt about it at the moment. As she rolled out of bed, she decided that it was something she was just going to have to deal if she wanted to keep being with Eric.

Being with, seeing, dating, sleeping with…whatever you wanted to call it. Sookie wasn't even sure herself. As she made her way to the bathroom, something occurred to her. Today was a Sunday, which meant that the club was closed. She could understand why she had told Eric last night that she would see him today-- she was trying her damnedest just to keep her composure while teasing him. Eric, on the other hand, didn't have the same kind of composure-keeping problems that Sookie had. Yet, he still said that he'd 'see her tonight to pick her up', if she remembered correctly. _Well, that was awfully vague_, she thought as she turned on the shower. She shrugged to herself and hopped into the warm spray.

About fifteen minutes later, Sookie was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, combing out her hair. After she put her comb away, she looked down at where her towel was resting around her body. Right above the fluffy, pink terrycloth, almost falling beneath it, was the faint remainder of fang marks. Sookie rubbed a finger across them before exiting the bathroom.

Once back in her room, she slipped into a pair of comfy jeans and a casual t-shirt. Shortly after dressing, she plopped down on her bed to send Eric a text inquiring about what he meant by saying he'd pick her up tonight. She also reminded him that the club was closed, not that she thought he'd need reminding.

Across from where she was sitting on her bed was the mirror on her closet door. She stared at her now-clothed reflection wondering how she, little Sookie from Bon Temps, ended up working in a strip club. If someone had told her three months ago that she'd be where she was now, and in some semblance of a relationship with her boss, a vampire, she'd have laughed and said that they were crazy.

Now, she was starting to accept that crazy was just the adjective of her life. Just then, she was effectively distracted by the vibration of her cell phone against her nightstand. It was the center of all the crazy himself.

_I know _my_ club is closed tonight, lover. Something should be at your building for pickup, so go check. And like I said last night, I'll pick you up later tonight. Let's go with 7:30. -E_

Sookie wondered what the hell Eric was talking about in his text. Well, on two counts at least. The line about him knowing all about _his_ club, yadda yadda, was crystal clear. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the commanding tone of the text. After sitting on her bed for a couple more minutes, curiosity got the better of her, and she started making her way to the building's mailroom.

Once she got there, she was greeted by Kelly, the landlord's wife and part-time mailroom clerk. When Sookie entered the little mailroom area, a smile lit up Kelly's face and the woman made her way over to pull Sookie into a hug. That was what Sookie loved about her building, everyone was so damn personable. Kelly didn't have to do anything other than help her husband with the books, but she made use of a lot of her free time to receive packages for the tenets and such. She also baked cookies from time to time. Today was one of those times.

"Sookie, so glad you dropped by, hun. There's an awfully nice looking package that arrived about an hour ago…fancy wrapping and the like. I was just about to phone you. I would have done it when the package got here, but I was up getting dinner started." Kelly was a housewife in her late thirties, a tall, thin woman with dirty blonde hair. She was as sweet as pie, and very chatty, but Sookie didn't mind.

"It's no problem at all. I wasn't in any hurry for it. In fact, I have no clue what it is," Sookie replied as she picked up a fall-themed sugar cookie off of the plate on one of the tables.

A concerned look crossed Kelly's features. "You know who it's from though, don't you hun?" Sookie nodded, still chewing on a piece of cookie. Kelly gestured to a largish box that was wrapped in matte gold paper. "Pretty isn't it?" she inquired.

"Beautiful." Sookie didn't know what else to say. This wasn't what she was expecting. Honestly, she couldn't think of anything that Eric would be sending her. A gift of some sort…that sounded remotely Eric-like.

"Admirer?" Kelly asked, moving to lean against one of the mailbox units.

"Something like that. That's how I knew something was down here for me. It's some sort of surprise, I guess."

"Ooo, that sounds exciting," responded Kelly, followed by a delightful little giggle. Sookie giggled to herself, blushing a bit.

Sookie smiled. "Shall we see what it is?"

"If it's not something you'd rather open in private, then sure."

"No, no, it's nothing like that." _I hope._ Sookie peeled the gold paper away from the box, Sookie recognized it as one from one of the local boutiques. She had window-shopped there, but it was far too expensive for her budget. Kelly squealed when she saw the logo printed on the box; she knew the store as well.

Sookie lifted the box lid, pulled back the tissue paper, and extracted a dress. Specifically, one of the prettiest dresses Sookie had every seen. It was colored a baby pink tone and made of satin. The bodice was pleated, the empire waist was covered in beading and rhinestones, and it finished in a bubble hem at the bottom. In short, it was the complete opposite of anything Sookie would expect Eric to purchase.

If she were to think of a dress she'd imagine getting from Eric, it would be similar to some of the dresses she saw the other waitresses in at Fangtasia: tight, short, and probably black. Save for being on the shorter side, this dress was different. And because of that fact, she loved it. She liked the dresses that she usually wore to work, but this dress was definitely more her.

"Looks like someone has a date to go get ready for," Kelly interjected, smiling.

"I guess I do."

"Have fun tonight, hun. That dress is going to look fabulous on you." Sookie was able to pull some thoughts from Kelly on some of the nice dresses and gifts she'd gotten from her husband over the years. The two girls hugged again, and Sookie headed back upstairs to her apartment to get ready for whatever Eric had in store for her.

She had a feeling he wouldn't disappoint.

* * *

**Hey guys. I'm am so sorry this took so long. I stupidly assumed since I was already in the middle of the scene, that it would be easy for me to just pick up where I left off and write another chapter. But, alas, it appears my muse decided to take a hiatus for a while. The link to the dress Eric sent Sookie is in my profile, and before anyone says anything, I'm fully aware that it's not couture or anything. But it is damn cute. Seriously, I was browsing the rest of the website, and they have a style line called 'heirloom'…let's just say you guys almost lost me for the rest of the chapter, lol. Anywho, I've been diligently working on the still-untitled drawing class fic, which is going pretty well. I've learned two things: I'm not cut out to write wham bam thank you ma'am ESN, so it's probably going to be multi-chapter. And I enjoy writing 1****st**** person, which I probably should have picked up on from writing Drawn…anyway, this will finish (yeah, I decided to finish it…not anytime soon, but it will conclude eventually) in 3****rd**** person just so no one freaks out. So there's where I am right now. Thanks for sticking with. I'm pretty skeptical about this chapter, hence why it took so long to write, so please don't hesitate to let me know what you think.**

**-Sydney**


	15. Seasoning

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: Hey guys. Of course I want to start out by saying thanks for everyone's reviews and to all the people who added this story or myself in some way, shape, or form. I know I say this a lot, but you guys rock and light up my day when I open my inbox and see these things. In honor of my 19th**** birthday (which is Thurs. the 5****th****), I'm working super hard to get a lot of stuff out to you guys in a shorter amount of time than I planned. So I'm working on this, the conclusion of Drawn (I think some people are still reading it…), and my new art-themed story (which is still untitled, sadly), all while trying to get my unemployed ass a job. Haha. I wish I had the discipline that some of the other writers have, because I'd love to put some teasers up on Teaser Mondays. But then I have this little inkling of fear that I'm not gonna get it done on time, and I just couldn't do that to you guys. Anyway, on with the show. Oh, and read the bottom A/N, there's some important info down there.**

**Enjoy the date!**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen- Seasoning**

After scouring her drawers for a set of undergarments to wear with her new dress, Sookie slipped it on and applied some light makeup. She messed with her hair for the next ten minutes, finally resolving to pin some strands away from her face and putting some loose curls in with her iron. Glancing at her clock (7:15), Sookie put the pink dress on, along with a pair of rhinestone strappy sandals that she found in her closet. She did one final spin in front of her mirror and headed into the living room, but not before grabbing the book that she had been reading; she knew she would get antsy waiting if she didn't have something to do.

In what felt like a lot less than fifteen minutes, there was a knock on the door, causing Sookie's head to pop up from her book. After she closed it and set it on the coffee table, Sookie stood up, straightened her dress, and moved to answer her door.

Standing in the doorway, with one up against the frame and leaning slightly to his right, was Eric. He was encased in an impeccably fitted gray suit, the jacket of which was sitting on top of a white button-down that was lacking some buttoning on the top. Sookie was thanking the Armani gods as she grabbed her keys and stuck them into her clutch.

Eric straightened his posture and held his hand out to Sookie, twirling her around once she took it. "Beautiful," he stated.

"You have good taste."

"I think so." Sookie noticed that Eric was smiling at her, and that he wasn't referring to his choice in dresses. She pushed on his shoulder a bit and slid past him; he moved out of the way so she could lock up.

"So did you pick it out yourself, or did you get Pam or someone to help you?" she asked teasingly.

"You underestimate me, lover." His voice was husky for a moment, but quickly shifted as he continued speaking. "I picked it out all by myself." Now, he sounded like a little kid who got himself all dressed. It was kind of cute. "The color reminded me of that delicious blush of yours." And there went the huskiness again. _Damn him and his bipolar tones_, Sookie thought as she wondered if her La Perla panties were going to make it through the evening in tact.

Always one to keep things moving, Eric threaded Sookie's arm around his. "Shall we?"

"Of course."

The two of them walked arm in arm downstairs, where Sookie noticed that Kelly was still in the mailroom. She waived at her, and Kelly responded with a wink and a thumbs up. Sookie was about to giggle at that when she saw what was waiting for her in front of her apartment building.

"What on Earth?" Aside from that sentence, she couldn't think of any other syllables to use in a reaction. Waiting right in front of her was a Civil War-era carriage (_thanks Gran and your Descendants meetings…_) hitched up to two black horses.

"You'd be amazed what you can find to travel by in October," he replied, paired with a trademark smirk.

"It's beautiful, Eric," she stated when she found the rest of her syllables. Eric kissed Sookie on the cheek before helping her into the carriage.

Once Eric had settled himself on the plush seat, the man in the driver's seat turned to face them. He first introduced himself as Joel before giving a short speech welcoming them aboard his buggy. Sookie offered him a sweet smile, while Eric offered a 'lets-get-on-with-it look. Joel turned back to the horses and prompted them to move.

About ten minutes into the ride, Sookie was wishing she grabbed a wrap or a cardigan, or something before she left her apartment. It wasn't an unusually chilly night or anything, but the breeze generated from the carriage ride was starting to get to her. She turned to her right and found something much better than a sweater, or even a blanket.

Sookie scooted over the remaining distance between herself and Eric. The two of them had been holding hands, but Sookie unthreaded their fingers, snaking one arm behind Eric's back and the other across his stomach, stopping about midway. She snuggled against him, wiggling a bit, and rested her head against him.

"Cold?" Eric asked, making the small adjustment necessary in order to wrap his arm around Sookie's shoulders.

"Nope, now I'm perfectly comfy," she responded, moving her head to look up at him. Sookie offered him a smile, which he traded for a soft kiss on her lips. They remained snuggled for a bit longer, up until the carriage pulled up to a fancy-looking restaurant.

"Dinner, Eric?"

"Of course, Sookie. You didn't think I'd let you starve, do you?"

Sookie couldn't help but laugh at herself. "No, I guess not. It's just that the carriage ride was so wonderful and unexpected. And now this? It's just too much."

Eric pulled her hand into his once more. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Nothing is too much for you, Sookie." Straightening back up, he lead her into the restaurant.

Apparently, Eric had made reservations, so they were seated in no time. After perusing the menu for a bit, Sookie decided on a Blackened Shrimp Pasta with Alfredo Sauce. The waiter offered Eric a little menu that looked like a dessert menu, but was actually a specialty blood menu. Eric told the waiter a brand that Sookie had never heard of. Quite frankly, Sookie didn't want to know what was in it, but she had an idea. She was just happy that Eric had a selection.

The waiter left the table to fill our drink orders. In that instant, Sookie was glad that he was male. As her attention was shifted off of giving her order, she noticed that there were a couple of waitresses gathered by a dessert cart. She couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but their thoughts gave them away.

_I wonder if I could get Nick to switch sections with me._

_Oh my God, he's huge! I bet he's proportional too…lucky bitch._

_I wish I could find a good-looking guy like that to take me for fancy dinners, even if he is a vampire. I hear their stamina is incredible though..._

Sookie threw her shields up, feeling a little bit giddy that she was envied. Eric looked at her, then to the group she was focused on. He turned back to her, tilting his head a little and smiled. "Hearing things again, lover?"

She nodded. "Uh huh. Just some things that are making me even more happy to be out with you tonight."

Eric took a hold of Sookie's hand across the table, running his thumb over her knuckles. "It makes me happy that you are happy."

Nick the waiter chose that moment to make an appearance with Sookie's wine and a TruBlood for Eric. He informed them that their food wouldn't be much longer and then disappeared again.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, food arriving shortly after their drinks did. After Sookie blocked out the thoughts of the jealous waitresses, she was able to enjoy conversation with Eric. She told him a little about her family, including her Gran's death and how she wound up in Shreveport; he told her a little about how he ended up owning a strip club.

"It was basically Pam's idea," Eric had informed Sookie. "Something about the feminine mystique and how it would be profitable."

Sookie laughed. "And I'm sure you're so put out having half-naked women all around you," she teased.

"Oh, Sookie, you have no idea how taxing it is," he replied with mock upset, dramatic sighing and all. Sookie laughed again and swat playfully at his shoulder. Nick popped up with the check, Eric paid, and then the couple was back at the carriage.

Once they were settled back in the seat, Sookie turned to Eric. "Wow, Eric. It's all I can seem to say. This evening was just…just wow."

"Was? It's not over yet, lover," he responded, slipping his jacket around Sookie's shoulders. That was the first time that she noticed that their outfits complemented each other. She smiled and snuggled back into Eric, despite having the jacket on.

Joel pulled away from the restaurant's curb, and shortly after they were riding through a small park. Being in the park at night reminded Sookie of something. She sat straight up, which effectively got Eric's attention.

"Halloween is coming up soon, isn't it?" she asked.

Eric was surprised by her random question. "Um, yeah. It's next week, actually. That's rather random though, Sookie."

Sookie gave a little giggle. "Yeah, I know. It's just that the carriage ride kinda gets me in the mood."

Eric quirked an eyebrow at that. "Oh does it now?" With his arm still around her, he slid his hand up her side, ghosting over her breast.

"The _Halloween_ mood," Sookie clarified, stifling a gasp. She dared to look over at Joel the driver, who appeared blissfully unaware of their conversation.

"I see. Are you sure that's the only thing this carriage ride is doing for you?" The carriage in question was currently emerging on the other side of the park, turning toward Sookie's street.

"Eric, we're in public," Sookie reprimanded, sliding her hand down to rest on his inner thigh, giving the true answer to his question. Eric flashed her a fang-filled smile as the carriage pulled back up to her apartment.

"What a coincidence, we're about to be _in private_," he whispered. Sookie was starting to feel that familiar tingling sensation as Eric helped her out of the carriage. She waited in the relative warmth of the building's awning while Eric paid Joel. When he rejoined her, he planted a toe-curling kiss on Sookie's lips. The anticipation alone was killing her, and Sookie grabbed Eric by the hands and dragged him inside.

---

Back at the park, nearby at a little ice cream shop, sat a woman and a man. The woman took a lick of her ice cream cone as she stared at the empty street that a carriage had gone down, not twenty minutes prior. She turned back to the man, flipping her long red hair behind her shoulder. _I knew it was that little whore that made him break it off with me_, she thought before she spoke to her date. "So what exactly are you offering me?"

* * *

**Oh snap…I wonder what's going down??**

**Disclaimer: I know that this is like the first time I've ever written this (and most likely the last), but I don't own Charlaine Harris' characters, of course. I just put 'em in stripper heels and make them dance to old jazz songs. Anywho, I was writing this disclaimer and figured I should put that in there too. But I do own Dahlia, Cicita, Kelly, and Joel…and Cassidy the shifter-stripper, I own her too. The main focus of this disclaimer was to say that all events and sights portrayed on our lovers' carriage rides are figments of my imagination (to my knowledge), and some are based on stuff that goes down in Savannah, GA, including the carriage ride itself.**

**OH! And I wanted to put something else out for you guys. So, there's this new contest, **"**Poppin' Eric's Cherry". Meads and VampLover1 are looking for publishing virgins to dazzle us with stories of how Eric lost his…yep, you guessed it, cherry.**

**Here's a link: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2130969/Poppin_Cherries **

'**Cause we all know that information is the key. I want to pimp this contest because well, it's fucking brilliant, and because I'm insanely jealous that I don't qualify to write. And I'd also like to mention that it's gonna be my debut as a beta. I'm all about helping, so don't hesitate to ask. Even if you're just thinking about entering, DO IT, because the feeling you get sharing your work is just amazing. And, there are prizes, and who doesn't love prizes?**

**Ok, I'm quite down talking now…for this chapter *evil laugh***

**-Sydney**


	16. Halloween pt I

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for all the birthday wishes, ya'll are so great. Due to some requests, I'm gonna jump around a little bit with this chapter. Just for a little synopsis: we're gonna start back at Sookie's apartment right where were left off after their date. Then we're gonna shift to some Eric-centric musings when he leaves her apartment before sunrise. Then we're going to shift forward a week, to Saturday, Halloween. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone.**

**Oh, and in case you haven't seen, I've started a new fic. *commence shameless pimpage* It's called Allegro and it's my first Eric/Sookie AH story. He's an actor, she's a ballroom dancer. And the best part? Their partners on Dancing With The Stars, my SVM edition. So check it out: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5493993/1/Allegro **

**It's also my first alternating POV story. *end pimpage***

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Sixteen- Halloween pt. I**

By the time Eric and Sookie made it up to her apartment, Sookie's straps were down and Eric's shirt was unbuttoned, his jacket hanging limp off of one arm. She unlocked her door in record time (Eric threatened to kick the damn thing down) and was rewarded by being promptly shoved up against the wall. Their lips made contact, harsh and frenzied. Sookie ran her tongue over both of Eric's lips before he gave her access.

Eric slid a large hand down Sookie's leg, stopping at her knee, hoisting her leg up to wrap around his waist. He moved closer to her, if that was even possible, and rubbed himself against her center.

"Jesus Christ, Eric. I need you. Please," Sookie whimpered, thrusting her body against his to receive her much-needed friction.

Eric pushed her flat against the wall, moving his face to her neck, and held her firmly. He blazed a trail of wet kisses and licks up to Sookie's earlobe. "Please _what_? Tell me what you need from me, Sookie," he breathed.

"Touch me, taste me, fuck me," she listed. "I don't care. Just do _something_."

A smirk spread across Eric's face. He pulled Sookie's dress off in one fluid motion, leaving her in her matching pink lace La Perla set. "I like it," he commented. "But I'd like it better off."

And then it was.

Eric undressed himself at vampire speed and resumed rubbing up against Sookie. "Is Amelia coming home tonight?" he asked as nibbled on her earlobe.

"If she's not home already, then probably not. Why?"

"Because _now_ I have no qualms about bending you over the arm of the couch."

Sookie's eyes got wide. She thought about the inconsideration of having sex on a piece of furniture that wasn't only hers. Then she decided 'the hell with it' and that she'd steam clean it when she woke up. Sookie hopped up, wrapping her legs tightly around Eric's waist. He carried her over to the couch, set her down on her feet, and spun her around. Placing a large hand on her back, he gently pushed Sookie down, bending her at the waist. Eric ran two fingers up her slit before reaching under her to palm her breasts. Sookie moaned from the contact, then called out his name as he entered her from behind.

He thrust into her a couple of times before she abruptly stood up, causing him to stop and pull out. "Is something wrong, darling?" Eric asked as he pulled Sookie's body against his. She moved out of his embrace and turned to face him.

"No, nothing's wrong," Sookie stated, sitting down on the arm of the couch. She placed her hands on Eric's chest, coaxing him to bend down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I just wanted to _touch you_," Sookie continued, sex-laden emphasis falling on the last two words. She moved her hands down to Eric's hips, allowing him to stand back up, and pulled him to her. Eric smirked as Sookie spread her legs wide for him, re-entering her swiftly.

"Fuck," he growled, slamming into her. Eric reveled in her tightness, trying to recall the last time he was someone's first lover. He came up empty-handed, but was quickly lost in the sensation of feeling Sookie clench around him. It was as if she was made for him, she fit him so perfectly. Not wanting to dwell on that subject for much longer, Eric growled again, picking up his pace.

Sookie's moans turned into screams as Eric clamped down her breast, heightening her orgasm and signaling his own. As her orgasm subsided, Eric moved them so that he was lying back on the couch with Sookie resting on top. They had slid down onto the couch over the course of their coupling. Sookie snuggled into him when she regained control of her motor skills. "That…that was amazing," she whispered as she traced lazy circles on Eric's chest. A deep laugh reverberated through him and he kissed her quickly before getting off the couch, setting Sookie down comfortably.

She tried not to whimper at the loss of his touch, but it came through as a pout. Eric left the living room and returned quickly, a wet washcloth in hand. A questioning look crossed Sookie's features as he lifted her up, putting the washcloth over his shoulder and cradling her body in his arms. "I didn't think you'd have the energy for a shower, so I brought part of the shower to you," Eric explained, smiling, as he nudged her bedroom door open.

He crossed the room, placing Sookie gently on her bed before crawling in with her. Eric moved the washcloth over her body, cleaning her up, as Sookie drifted off to sleep. After replacing the washcloth in the bathroom, Eric returned to the bedroom, taking in Sookie's sleeping form. She looked beautifully peaceful and he didn't want to risk disturbing her, so he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left her room.

Eric put his clothes back on, then set about picking up Sookie's and setting them in her room quietly. As he was leaving, the apartment door opened. It was Amelia, coming home with one of his bouncers. Eric was pretty sure that his name was Tray. The couple barely paid him any attention as they stumbled, giggling, into the apartment. The door closed behind him and he heard the lock click into place. At least he wouldn't have to worry about how he was going to lock up, because nothing short of catastrophe could have made him wake Sookie up.

She was so beautiful, a Goddess, really. She looked so peaceful, so innocent, curled up sleeping like that. Eric had no clue what their relationship was, but it was definitely more than a casual fuck, like he'd had in the past. This was one of the first times he had even considered using the word relationship in conjunction with a woman he was sleeping with. But Sookie was so much more than just the sex, which was great, but she was special. He didn't know why or how, or even what to call her, but he found himself wanting to see her, to talk to her, spoil her even. It even pained him that he had to leave her after making love to her. But it was a situation beyond their control, and something he'd have to devise a solution to.

Once Eric was around the corner from Sookie's building, he took off into the night.

---

Sookie awoke at noon the following Saturday, Halloween. The holiday was a big deal at Fangtasia. No, scratch that, Halloween was a _huge_ deal. So huge of a deal that Eric had closed the club down for the entire week prior. Sookie was enjoying the time off, catching up on laundry, other errands, and, most importantly, she had the time and the energy to steam clean the couch. Amelia was none the wiser. She obviously knew that he had been there that night, having run into him on his way out, but she had no clue about their couch romp. In fact, she was passed out until 2pm that Monday, so Sookie had plenty of time to clean.

What Sookie wasn't enjoying was the fact that she hadn't seen Eric all week. They had talked on the phone a couple of times and sent innumerable text messages, but she missed _seeing_ him. He was hard at work supervising the decorating for Halloween, but that was all he'd tell her. Apparently, the Halloween theme was on a need-to-know basis. This was similar to the regular theme nights, except Eric was in the loop this time. He probably made the damn loop.

The anticipation, much like the Eric-withdrawal, was killing her. Sookie tried every coercion trick in her arsenal, including an attempt to initiate phone sex, but Eric would have none of it. All she got was a reiteration of the same message that was doled out to all of the employees: everyone must be in costume.

So that was how Sookie ended up in front of a costume shop a little bit outside of Shreveport. She was sitting in her car, in the strip mall, reading the temporary sign-banner that boasted "great costumes at affordable prices." A couple minutes later, a little silver Sentra pulled into the spot next to her.

Sookie knew that it was her own fault for waiting so long to shop, but she couldn't help but be a little bummed when Amelia told her that she both already had her costume and had plans with Tray before work, so she couldn't have gone with her. She was also bummed that said costume was top secret.

Sookie was considerably less bummed to learn that she wasn't the only costume procrastinator. Getting out of her car, she walked around to the Sentra to meet Cicita.

"Hey chica," the little brunette greeted. "I was so surprised that you called. I expected you to be pair costuming with your big, bad, vampire man."

"I actually hadn't thought of that, but nope. He's been cheating on me all week with his club decorating," Sookie replied with a giggle.

"Well then, we just need to get you all hot so he won't even give that tramp a second thought." Cicita offered a laugh of her own, linking arms with Sookie.

The two girls scoured the store for half an hour, having skipped over the traditional costumes and heading straight for the sexy ones. Sookie was looking at petticoats when Cicita walked up, arms full of little plastic costume packages. There had to be at least fifteen of them.

"Jeez, Ci. Did you leave any costumes for the rest of us?"

Cicita looked down at her bundle. "What, these? Oh no, mine are in one of the dressing rooms. These are for you." She walked over to the other dressing room and put her load inside.

"Cicita, while I appreciate the gesture, I can pick my own costume," Sookie replied, running a hand through her hair.

"So that's what you were doing by standing there looking at petticoats and gloves for thirty minutes? I mean I know we work at a strip club, but I think their might be a little bit more of a dress code than that," Cicita teased.

Sookie couldn't help but smile. "Fine, let's see what you got." Both girls went into their respective changing rooms. Cicita could hear Sookie's series of snorts, laughs, and grunts at her costume selection, and she chuckled to herself while trying on her own pile. She had just decided on being Cleopatra-- a short white dress trimmed in gold and beading, with the middle cut out and a jeweled collar and piece in the center of the skirt, accompanied by a headband and arm bands (two had blue fabric hanging on them)-- when she heard Sookie scream.

"Cicita! Oh my God! How did you know?" Sookie just about knocked Cicita over in an attempt to get to the shorter girl.

"I just took a guess," Cicita replied, watching the blonde twirl around in her dress. "What do you say to purchasing these costumes, getting out of here, and me doing your hair and makeup after some dinner?"

"Sounds great."

After they paid for their costumes, they ended up back at Sookie's apartment with a pepperoni pizza in hand. Three slices a piece later, they were drinking a little wine while Cicita worked on her own makeup first. About twenty minutes later, Cicita was the Nile queen's spitting image, with dramatic eyeliner and a little bit of blue shadow to match her outfit. She had also slid her headband on and curled the ends of her long black hair.

Then she set to work on Sookie. Both hair and makeup were pretty straightforward. Cicita added a few curls to Sookie's wavy blonde hair, pinning it up in the front on both sides. Sookie would be wearing a hat with her costume, so Cicita wanted to give her a hairdo that would look great with or without it on. She tied in the ribbons that came with the dress and then got started on her makeup. Cicita did a minimal job since the costume didn't call for much. She did go a little heavy on the mascara, but that was the only eye makeup she used. Paired with just a smidge of blush, Sookie was all set.

They were munching on potato chips and listening to music to pass the time when Amelia came home. She gave them a hasty hello before running to her room to get changed. When she emerged thirty minutes later, Cicita nearly fell off the couch laughing. Sookie actually did. Amelia was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, except it was a two-piece red and black outfit, and on her little white apron was an appliqué of a little wolf. She had the cape on, hood up, and it was red with cherry-printed lining.

"So are we to expect Tray dressed as the 'Big, Bad Wolf'?" Sookie asked once she composed herself a bit. "Or maybe as an actual wolf?" And then she was back to giggling uncontrollably.

"The bouncers are in on the theme, if you must know," Amelia replied, half-smiling, half-scowling. "This," she gestured to her outfit, "was all my own little joke. Cute, no?"

"It's really cute," Cicita agreed, helping Sookie off the floor.

"I half expected Giggles here to dress as Mina, or something equally as cheeky," Amelia commented.

"Nope, but what she got is awesome. Which reminds me, we should be getting ready." She handed Sookie her costume and grabbed her own before heading to the bathroom.

An hour later they were on their way to the club. While crossing the parking lot "Yellow Brick Road"-style, they saw Dahlia getting out of a black sedan with tinted windows. Rather than focus on who was dropping her off, they chose to focus on her costume.

She was dressed as a pin-up sailor. On top she wore a blue and white striped halter top (that looked a bit like a bikini top) with a red tie in front; on bottom she wore blue shorts that were cuffed, belted, and had big brass buttons on them. Her auburn hair was done up in an elaborate 40s-style 'do and her makeup was flawlessly done. In short, she looked amazing. But Sookie had a sinking feeling her costume came paired with some ulterior motives, seeing as her shields were also out in full force.

The group let the redhead enter in front of them, since she was closer to the back door (where they had been instructed to enter). Sookie stole a look at the front entrance on the way to the back. She couldn't really tell anything about the theme, but she did notice that the two bouncers at the door were dressed in tuxes and kind of resembled the butlers at the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney, except they wore top hats.

As they made it down the back hallway, their eardrums were assaulted by a song about 'disco sticks'. All three girls started dancing down the hallway in a sort of conga line formation. Sookie was at the back of the line and didn't even notice that Eric's office door was open. She also didn't notice him slip out of said office until he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Sookie motioned for the other girls to go on ahead, then she turned to face her vampire.

Eric had been working on some bills that he had neglected in favor of Halloween setup when he saw the girls dancing past his door. He had seen Dahlia pass by not even five minutes prior and could tell that her costume was intended for him. Not caring in the least, he went back to his paperwork, only looking up a second time when he heard feminine laughing in the hall. Sookie was the caboose in their little train, dressed as a Southern Belle of all things. Upon further inspection, he noticed that she was a blonde, sexier version of Vivien Leigh's Scarlet from Gone With The Wind. She was wearing a short, off-the-shoulder, white dress with green accents, a green choker, and white stockings with green bows. She also had green bows in her hair and a wide-brimmed white hat on her head.

"Excuse me, Miss O'Hara?" Eric slipped his arms around Sookie's waist. She turned around, squealed, and threw her arms around his neck.

"Eric! I was just going to see if you were out on the floor already. I missed you," Sookie answered, leaning up to kiss him.

"I would have been, but there were some bills I need to attend to." He kissed her again before moving his lips to her ear. "I love your costume, darling," he whispered.

Sookie did a half-shiver, half-wiggle. This was when she realized that she was rubbing up against velvet. She pulled back a bit and saw that Eric was wearing a green velvet vest, a black dress shirt and pants, and a black and green cravat. His hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and secure by a black band. Sookie thought he looked kind of like Lestat. She also noticed that they sort of matched.

"We match," she whispered back. "Minus the whole different centuries thing, you know?" Eric smiled at her and kissed her a third time before releasing her.

"How about that," he mused. "Come and see what the club looks like, lover." Eric walked off ahead of Sookie, unsure if she wanted to make a public display of their relationship. He was pleasantly surprised when she caught up to him and laced their fingers together.

"I hope you're as proud of being with me as I am of being with you." Sookie squeezed his hand.

"Of course I am, lover. I'm glad to hear you say it though," he replied, bringing their hands up to kiss Sookie's. She leaned her head against his arm and they walked out into the main area of the club.

* * *

**Yeah, I know you guys are probably going to beat me for stopping there, but I really wanted to get something to you guys today. So the rest of Halloween is going to be in the next chapter. I went a bit overboard with the costuming this chapter, so on my profile you'll not only find a link to Sookie's costume, but ones to Cicita's, Amelia's, and Dahlia's as well. I also have a link for Pam's, but I'm gonna hold off on that one until she makes her debut next chapter, since hers is kind of theme-related. So, any guesses on what the theme and/or Pam's costume will be?**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter and I hope I didn't confuse you too bad with the time jump. I just needed to get things moving and I really wanted to do a Halloween night.**

**-Sydney**


	17. Halloween pt II

**Stiletto.**

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**A/N: Hey guys, I know that this took me awhile to get out, but it would have taken me even longer without my epiphany. I'll explain at the bottom.**

**For now, Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Seventeen- Halloween pt. II**

Sookie and Eric walked hand in hand as they entered Fangtasia's main floor. Sookie was surprised to find the place decorated like some sort of old fashioned circus. More Edgar Allan Poe than Barnum and Bailey. A macabre circus, the type where you'd actually need to be afraid of the carnies. And the ringmaster for that matter, apparently. A half-naked Pam pranced out on stage to address a packed house.

She wore a black underwire bra under a cutout red shrug with brass buttons that fastened around her neck. Her separated sleeves were attached to the shrug with little red garter straps. The important parts on bottom were minimally covered by a red and black fringe skirt with bows on the sides. She had a cute little red top hat, a la Mad Hatter, on head and her hair was curled and teased to the point that it almost looked like an afro. But it looked amazing. Sookie thought that she deserved an award for being about to parade around like she was in the heels she was wearing, which were black stiletto boots with heels so high, Pam was basically standing on Pointe. She opened with a solo dance to an interesting mix of Britney Spears' "Circus".

Across the room, Dahlia watched the couple enter the club, slamming an empty shot glass down on the bar and shattering it. She punched something into her cell phone and went off to find a dustpan.

"Eric, it looks amazing in here," noted Sookie, taking in the tattered velvet tablecloths and candelabra displays. The walls of the club had been covered to make them look like they were made out of stone and the ceiling had been covered to give the appearance of the inside of a tent. "Now I understand why you didn't want to see me," she teased.

Eric pulled Sookie tight to his body. "Not _didn't_, _couldn't_. Definitely not _didn't_. Halloween is an important occasion here."

"I understand. I was only teasing," she tiptoed up to kiss him. "Now like you said, Halloween is important here and business is booming. They need me out there."

"But I need you too, Sookie," Eric whispered, sending chills down her spine.

"And you will have me later," Sookie replied, pulling away a little, "Lestat," she finished with a wink. Eric gave a laugh before walking over to his table.

"What the hell happened over here?" Sookie overheard Arlene nearly scream as she approached the waitress station.

"I told you, Arlene. A shot glass fell off of my tray," Dahlia responded.

"On the bar? Right. Whatever, just clean it up." Arlene picked up her tray full of beers and headed to one of her tables.

Sookie moved around Dahlia as fast as humanly possible. It was one of those moments she wished she had Eric's vampire speed. She rounded up the various TrueBloods and beers she needed and left the station. Dahlia still had her shields up, but maybe it was just due to the high volume of customers this evening.

Dahlia kicked the trash can after dumping the broken shot glass into it. _This is just fucking frustrating_, she thought. She knew she couldn't do anything herself because she couldn't risk getting fired. She just hoped her special guest would make an appearance. After adjusting her costume, Dahlia left to take some orders.

---

The party was still going when Sookie headed to the back for a bathroom break. On her way back out, she noticed that Eric's door was closed. Surprisingly unable to resist temptation, she walked over and knocked.

"Trick or treat?" she queried when Eric opened the door.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any candy for you, little one," he replied, leaning against the door frame. Sookie slipped in under his extended arm.

"Are you sure? I thought for sure you'd have something you want to give to me," she said, smiling, as she sprawled out of the leather couch. Eric stood there, effectively rendered speechless. "No, nothing? I guess I could always try the next door." Sookie put her hand out in front of her, examining her nails.

Eric stepped toward the couch and Sookie raised an eyebrow. "I was really hoping you'd have a treat for me. I've seen enough tricks for one evening," she reflected, referring to the quality of men that frequented the club tonight.

"I think I might have something for you. But I thought there was a policy, Miss O'Hara. Something along the lines of 'no fucking while working'?

"Yeah, it's something like that," Sookie conceded, "but I was considering making an exception since Halloween is like your Christmas. Am I right?"

"It's something like that," Eric repeated, smirking at Sookie as he got closer to the couch. "I do enjoy Christmas though."

"Are you saying you'd rather wait?"

"Absolutely not." Eric walked closer to her, covering the remaining distance. Sookie moved to pull off her dress, but Eric grabbed her hand. "Leave it on," he growled.

"You know, I'm starting to worry about this costume fetish you seem to have," she teased, giggling a little.

"You wouldn't want to be naked should anyone waltz in."

"Lock the door, Eric."

"The thrill of getting caught is half the fun, lover."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed."

"I don't care, lock the fucking door." There was no way in hell Sookie was going to risk having _anyone_ interrupt them. She'd die of embarrassment, plain and simple. _Or maybe Dahlia might actually kill me. That, and I'd be the biggest hypocrite on the planet._

"Language, lover," Eric scolded as he got up to lock the door, vampire speed. As he walked back over to the couch, he started removing his clothes. Sookie sat there drooling over his gorgeous body.

"Come here, vampire." She pulled his naked form against her body, pressing their lips together. Eric moved his hands to the hem of Sookie's dress and pushed up the billowing fabric of the skirt, along with her petticoat.

"Fuck, Sookie. Was wearing a garter belt really imperative to the costume?" Sookie couldn't help but giggle at his obvious interest in the undergarment.

"Yes. Why? You like?"

"Absolutely. In fact, it is one less piece of clothing you'll have to put on before we go back out."

"And why's th--" Sookie started to asked before she was distracted by Eric quickly removing her panties and inserting his head between her thighs. He took a long lick up her center before testing her wetness with his fingers.

"Oh God, Eric," she moaned. "Th…this is won…wonderful," she tried to get out while Eric continued his ministrations, "but can I…I…I p-please take this dress off? It's st-stifling."

Eric moved away from her folds. "Of course, lover. But leave the garters and stockings on." He smiled.

Sookie quickly took off her dress and moved so that she was on top of Eric, straddling him. He reached up and unclasped her bra, noticing that it matched her panties. "I don't know if I want to let you back out on the floor with all of those men ogling you," Eric commented, pulling Sookie down toward him from the waist. He ran his thumb over one of her nipples.

"I'll be fine, Eric," she assured him. "I'm pretty feisty, you know."

"Oh, lover, I do know." He kissed her tenderly before raising her hips and lowering her onto his manhood. Sookie cried out upon contact, thankful for the loud music pulsating through the club's sound system. She pulled away from Eric, leaning back, and slowly began moving herself up and down his cock.

Eric was starting to like this new, sexually-liberated Sookie. He thoroughly enjoyed the view as she rode him to climax. Afterwards, they laid on the couch, cuddled up, basking in the afterglow for awhile before they'd have to return to the outside world.

---

Dahlia was preparing some shots of tequila when she saw someone familiar enter the club. She smiled and waived him over to the bar area.

"Darling, I wasn't planning on making an appearance tonight, but I had to see you in that little costume again," he addressed her with a wink and a kiss on the cheek.

"TrueBlood, on me," she offered, handing him the bottle. The man nodded at her before moving off into the throng of people crowding the stage.

Ten minutes later, Sookie and Eric came out of the back. Outwardly, they didn't appear any different, but Dahlia knew what happened because she recognized that look. She used to be the one with that look. Rather than damage any more glassware, Dahlia smiled to herself before taking her shots for delivery.

Sookie squeezed Eric's hand before retrieving her tray and apron from the bar area. She noticed that there was a slight increase in the club's population. It was probably due to the practically-naked rendition of "Thriller" currently being performed, but Sookie couldn't help but feel bad that she left the other waitresses shorthanded while she had a quickie with the boss. Well, two of the other waitresses, anyway.

Leaving the tray behind, Sookie pushed her way through the crowd of people by the stage. She was starting to regret the fact that those tables were part of her section. The tables in questioned had even seemed to have capsized under the sea of people. After what seemed like hours of shoving horny men out of her way, she finally arrived at the centermost table.

There sat a handsome Hispanic man, a vampire. He was dressed rather extravagantly and appeared to be scrutinizing the looks and movements of the dancers, rather than enjoying the show. He looked Sookie up and down when she got closer to the table.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked. It was in the volume of a yell, but it almost sounded like a whisper mixed with all of the noise. Sookie learned quickly that evening that she had to clarify that she was taking drink orders-- it seemed that Halloween brought in the more unsavory variety of gentleman's club patrons. The look that this vampire was giving her, however, made her wish that she had just asked him outright if he wanted a TrueBlood.

"Yes, another TrueBlood would be lovely," he shouted back, handing her an empty bottle. "I would also like your help with something." _If this is another perverse attempt at a proposition or a pickup, I think I might stake the bastard_.

She nodded for him to continue. "I was hoping that you could help me locate Mr. Eric Northman. It seems that I have some business to discuss with him."

"Oh, um yeah. His table's in the back." She pointed back and to the left. The vampire nodded before making his way back through the crowd.

---

Eric was sitting in his booth, scanning the outskirts of the mob, waiting for Sookie to reemerge. He didn't see Sookie, but he did see an elegantly-dressed man maneuver his way out. A couple more seconds passed and the man was sliding into the vinyl seat across from him.

"Mr. de Castro, I can't say that it's a pleasure."

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**I bet ya'll didn't expect Mr. Felipe to be Dahlia's mystery date. Well, neither did I. It's all a part of my epiphany. You see, I was having some serious problems with the direction this story was taking. I felt that Fangtasia, the strip club was falling into the background as a setting, when I originally wanted it to be an integral part of the plot. So now it is, and I'm getting back to the original plot that I had outlined before I even started writing this story and had to pretty much scrap once I recast Eric as the club owner (long story, I'll explain at the very end perhaps).**

**Over the last couple of weeks, I tried to write this chapter with Bill as Dahlia's mystery date (as most of you, and I, thought), and it wasn't what I wanted at all. So then I considered just finishing out the chapter that way and saying that it was the end of Stiletto. But that wasn't what I wanted either. Then, after I conversed (read: vented) a little with my official writing guru, Lubadub, I had an epiphany. So then I talked with her some more to hash out how to make part A of Stiletto (the existing chapters) merge seamlessly with part B (the future chapters and revisited plotline), and now here we are. I am eternally grateful to her for all of her help.**

**So, now before I go any further, I wanted to point a couple of things out. I made it clear in the summary for this story that this is an AU story. While this wasn't the original meaning of that delineation, I think it is prominent now more than before. As far as positions go, other than the fact that those who were original supes of some sort are still those supes, I'm breaking canon. In fact, I'm just gonna throw the whole vampire political system out the window, because it isn't relevant to my story. We come on here to read something a little different, and that's what I'm planning on giving you. Interactions in this story are going to much like they would in real-life, except some people will be supernatural. This will make sense in like the next chapter or so, I swear. Also, this has the potential to get a little dark and sketchy before it can be all sunshine and rainbows again. So bear with me, I promise it'll be interesting. Third point, I'm probably going to start having it mostly in Sookie's perspective from here on out. It will help maintain suspense, for one, and I think I function a lot better in first person perspective, for two. I've read stories that function in both 3****rd**** and 1****st**** person, and they work just fine. **

**Thanks for the reviews and support from everyone, and I hope I don't lose anyone because of this direction change. I hope to make it as painless as possible. I'm sorry that this took so long to work out, so that's why I extended the slight lemon in the middle.**

**-Sydney**


	18. Offers

**A/N: *peeks out from behind corner* Hello? Anyone still out there? Well, story alerts/favorites are still trickling in, so I think that there's still some of you guys out there. Anyways, I'm still here, and now I'm a (wo)man with a plan. Big, huge, ginormous (and all other synonyms) thanks to the ladies at Twitter for inspiring me to get off my ass and finish this thing. Most importantly, thanks to Lubadub, without her, you wouldn't be reading much of anything. If you want to thank her, you should read her stories. They're amazing. Since you guys are probably already mad enough with me, I'm gonna leave it at that and start this beast.**

**As far as POV goes, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna stick with omniscient. Continuity and all that.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Eighteen- Offers**

By the time Sookie stumbled out of the sea of horny stripper aficionados, she was almost to the backstage curtain on the left side of the stage. She figured that Fangtasia's patrons were content enough for the moment on naked breasts alone, so she made the snap decision to see how the fort was being held down backstage. There was some kind of group number going on on-stage; the only people backstage were Amelia and Pam. Not that Sookie minded.

"I just love Halloween," Pam commented as Sookie approached. Her hair was still very much teased and had no intention of ever becoming normal again, but there she was, adding more hairspray. Amelia was applying more cherry red lipstick.

"All quiet on the western front?" Amelia asked. Sookie giggled, realizing that the bar and lounge was, in fact, due west.

"The masses seem to be sated on boobs," Sookie affirmed.

"Can you blame them?" Pam smirked. "If I were paying twenty bucks cover, I'd be doing my damnedest to be enthralled by the tits."

Sookie's eyes bugged out. "Twenty bucks? I thought it was only ten."

"It usually is. But it's our biggest night, so people tend to not care what they're being charged for more boobs and debauchery."

"Hmm, never thought of it that way."

"Business, sweetie. The Halloween party might be Eric's brain child, but the near-quadruple in revenue was all me."

"You? I thought you were just the star of the show." Amelia stifled a laugh. Barely.

Pam, however, did laugh. "Of course I am, little Sookie." She propped her feet up on the vanity table. "But I'm also so much more than that. Pull up a chair, I'm going to tell you a little story." Sookie complied, grabbing a chair from one of the other vanity tables.

"This building used to be a warehouse," Pam started. Sookie nodded, understanding why the club had a slightly industrial feel to it. "Eric bought it from another vampire named Felipe DeCastro. He actually still owns another building that's the exact duplicate of this one." She gestured to the building.

"Anyway, in the time that were apart during the 30s…40s maybe, I had part in opening a burlesque club. After the reveal, Eric told me he wanted to open some type of club that catered to both humans and supes, so I suggested a strip club. They're quite lucrative, you know."

Sookie smiled. "I can imagine." She just slung the drinks, she could only imagine just how lucrative the whole shebang was.

"Eric agreed, so I moved to lovely Louisiana," Pam smirked. Amelia shot her a look and motioned for her to continue. "Eric made me part-owner and here we all are now. That's long and short of it, doll." Pam knew that there was more, but all of that was irrelevant to the present conversation.

"Okay, but now how did you start stripping? Doesn't exactly seem like the natural progression for a part-owner," Sookie asked.

"It always looked like so much fun," Pam replied plainly. "I always loved watching the shows in the burlesque club up north. Mostly for the girls, I'll admit, but there was something intriguing about the routines too. I had to mostly stay on the QT back then, but when Eric and I opened this club, I knew that I wanted to, and could, try it. It's really rather empowering, Sookie." Pam looked to Amelia, who nodded.

"How about you, Ames? I know we live together, but you never talk about work."

"I don't know why I don't talk about it. I love it here." The brunette gave an easy smile. "Well you know about my dad, and all the dance training. This seemed like the perfect combination of my love for dance and a way to stick it to my dad. He tells his associates that I'm a florist, if they ever ask about me." She laughed a little. "But I totally agree with Pam, it is pretty empowering."

"Empowering, huh?"

---

Eric looked up to see Sookie practically skipping through the club. Even with the club's overcrowding, she somehow managed to avoid all of the people and never break her stride. He made an attempt at patting the seat next to him, but Sookie was already sliding on to the vinyl and snuggling up to him.

"Hey there, little belle," he growled, running a hand across the layers of material that made up the bottom of her costume. "Might I ask where you've been hiding?" He had noticed that she'd been absent from the bar area, but he really didn't mind. In fact, it had spared her from his meeting with DeCastro.

"_Mr. de Castro, I can't say that it's a pleasure."_

"_Oh, Northman, don't be like that. It's always a pleasure to see you," de Castro replied, snickering._

_Eric refrained from rolling his eyes or making any similar gestures of annoyance. "Let me rephrase then; to what do I owe this pleasure, de Castro?"_

"_I heard you had a new waitress," de Castro began._

"_She's mi- I mean, she's off limits." Eric knew de Castro's game, and he didn't want Sookie to have any more of a part in it than she already did by just working at Fangtasia._

"_Don't get your panties in a bunch, Northman. I was simply going to suggest a…promotion."_

"_Just spit it out. What the fuck are you getting at?" Eric had an inkling, but he figured it would be better to have de Castro speak his piece rather than say something himself and risk putting his foot in his mouth._

"_Dance, Northman! I want her to dance!" de Castro exclaimed excitedly. Eric half expected him to start clapping his hands like a small child._

"_No. She's the best fucking waitress I've got. I've got plenty of perfectly fine strippers." He punctuated his statement with a sweep of his arm toward the stage, where a group number was being performed._

"_I'm perfectly aware of your assembly of entertainers, Northman. I just think that Sookie would be a fabulous addition to that assemblage. Anyone can sling drinks."_

"_She's not dancing, de Castro, that's final." Eric leaned back against the seat, tenting his hands in front of him._

_De Castro stood. "All I'm saying is think about it, Eric. It would be worth your while." He smirked and left._

Eric looked down at the blonde telepath tucked under his arm and smiled. He was happy with his decision regarding de Castro's offer; he would protect Sookie first and foremost.

"I was backstage with Pam and Amelia. You aren't mad, are you? 'Cause I thought that since everyone seemed to be happy for the moment, I could just…" Eric cut her off with a kiss on the top of her head before speaking.

"Of course I'm not mad, lover. I was just curious, that is all."

"Ok, great." Eric noticed that Sookie's voice had trailed off, like she wanted to sat something else.

"Anything else you'd like add, Sookie?" She removed herself from his side, turning to face him and propping her head up on her arm.

"Well, there was something…"

"What, lover?"

"Like I said, I was talking to Pam and Amelia, and I got to thinking that maybe it'd be fun to pole dance. They even offered to teach me." Sookie smiled sweetly at him, but all Eric saw was red. He gripped the side of the table, ready to end Pam's life a second time.

"You want to…to strip?" Eric asked as calmly as he possibly could.

Sookie's eyes got huge. "No. God, no. Like how they do in those trendy gyms. Pole dancing as exercise." She let out a small laugh.

"Oh. Sure, go ahead. Why would you feel like you needed to ask my permission?"

"No reason, really. I just thought you might object to sharing me with Pam a couple nights a week." She gave a sly smile and winked.

"I won't like it, but I think I can handle it," Eric laughed, adding a wink of his own. Sookie gave him a quick kiss and scooted back to the bar.

When she was a couple feet away, she looked back at him and mouthed 'I love you.'

* * *

**So, I'm still here. No, this story isn't done yet. Yes, I'm going to finish it. Like I said above, I finally have a definitive plan, so there shouldn't be another huge break in updates. Thanks again to everyone for sticking with me. You guys are the best.**

**Notes on the chapter: That was the longest GD Halloween every. Three chapters folks! But it's finally over. The next chapter will probably jump ahead a week or two, just because we haven't had a time progression yet.**

**Thanks again. Let me know what you think!**

**-Sydney**


	19. Debutante

**A/N: Hey everybody. This is like two weeks-ish later than I anticipated, but better late than never, right? Plus, I do believe that I never gave a timeframe for my update schedule. Yay for loopholes. Anyway, I'm really happy with this chapter, and this chapter officially makes Stiletto my longest story so far (I know that Drawn has 17 published, but 18 is almost done). So yay for that also. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Nineteen- Debutante**

"Pam, I'm gonna have a bruise the size of a watermelon if you make me attempt that spin again. I've fallen on my ass enough times for one day, thank you very much." Sookie plopped down on the floor, Indian-style, leaning against the fitness pole they'd put up in Pam's living room a few weeks prior. Amelia was straddling a chair, laughing her ass off while watching the two blondes go at it again.

"Damn it, Sookie, you start this shit every time I teach you a new trick. Yes, you fall at first, but then you get the hang of it and everything is peachy again. The is the last trick for this routine, so get up." As pissed off as Pam appeared to be, she was pretty impressed with Sookie's progress on the pole. "Besides, Eric can always rub your ass for you later." She smiled, with fangs, at the Viking vampire who had just let himself into the apartment. Sookie rolled her eyes at her teacher before hopping up to greet Eric.

"Pam's right, you know," he smirked down at his girlfriend, squeezing her butt for emphasis.

"Tempting offer," Sookie mused as she stretched up to kiss him. "Okay, Pam, let's do this."

---

**~One week later~**

"Hah! I love the hat!" Sookie exclaimed, picking up the little hat. It was red, black, and white, with a red feather sticking up. She placed it on her head and adjusted her blonde curls around it.

"Out of all of that, you pick the hat to like?" Amelia asked, pretending to be appalled. She was working on tying her bandana behind her head.

"The hat is cute, Amelia. I used to wear ones like that quite often," offered Pam, adjusting her boobs after re-rimming her eyes with black eyeliner.

"The hat's fine. It's just that rest of that outfit is hot, but Sookie only has eyes for the damn hat." Amelia shimmied the scrap of fabric masquerading as a skirt further down onto her hips.

"I love the outfit, Ames," Sookie responded. "The hat's just my favorite part." She smiled at Amelia before looking down to lace up the ribbon on her brown suede corset. After that was done, she adjusted the white ruffled tank top underneath.

"I'm going to wander around a bit," Pam announced. She stood up to pull on her red velvet pirate coat bolero, before setting her pirate hat on top of her own mess of blonde curls. The other two girls nodded their comprehension as she strolled out of the dressing area.

Pam found Eric talking to an alcohol delivery man at the bar, whose eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets as the blonde approached. Eric noticed that the man's attention had waned, and he turned to find the source.

"Pam, to what do we owe this pleasure?" The alcohol man licked his lips at the mention of pleasure. Pam winked at him; he was cute, but he was still a man.

"I need to ask you about something, but it can wait." She perched herself at one of the nearby round tables, crossing her legs and leaning back. Eric managed to finish his meeting, but only after threatening the alcohol supplier with physical violence if he didn't stop drooling over Pam and start paying attention to what Eric was talking about. The supplier unloaded the boxes of bottles off of his dolly, handed his card to Pam, and wheeled his way out. "Well that was fun," Pam commented as Eric sat down, flipping the business card between her fingers.

"Apart from your…distraction, you actually garnered us a pretty big discount on that vodka. So what is it that you wish you ask me about?"

"I was just curious as to your thoughts on Sookie's pole routine." Pam arched an eyebrow.

Eric saw her eyebrow and raised her a smirk. "It's lovely, Pam. Not that you need any encouragement about your teaching skills, but I've noticed an increase in her flexibility…" he continued talking almost to himself before Pam cleared her throat. "But what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Pam looked at him for a moment, waiting for it to click. A couple more seconds passed by before Eric slammed his fist down on the table, causing the metal table to shake viciously. It clicked.

"Absolutely not, Pam."

"She's…"

"Don't even start." Eric leaned back in the chair after hitting the table a second time, for emphasis.

"I guess you asked him, huh?" Eric inclined his head to watch Sookie approach. His fangs ran out with a plop as he took in the shredded black and red skirt she was wearing, along with the cleavage that was spilling out of the top of her little white tank top. She looked sexy, but it was a classic sexy in comparison to Pam's brand of risqué sex appeal.

"What is Pam putting you up to, Sookie?" asked Eric.

"Nothing. Pam here just decided to jump the gun on asking you. That's what I was coming out here to do." She slid into her vampire's lap. Pam just kind of shrugged and looked back to Eric.

"So?" both women inquired.

Eric looked from Sookie, to Pam, and then back to Sookie. "If Sookie wants to dance, then she can. But no stripping." He was putting his foot down on that aspect. There was no way his Sookie was going to be showing any of her assets to his customers.

Sookie cracked a smile. "I don't want to strip anyway. There's no way I could parade around naked in front of strangers. I dance in public all the time, this is no different," she assured Eric. She stood up and walked around to Pam's chair, draping her arms around the female vampire. "I don't know how Pam does it. I'll be in the dressing room with Ames if you need me." She sauntered off.

"Who was that, and what the hell have you done to my Sookie?" Eric asked, unsuccessfully trying to glare at Pam.

She shrugged again, it really was an odd-looking gesture for a vampire. "I taught her some spins, but what you saw there was all Sookie. I have to get backstage to get things ready." She stood up, pushing her chair in. "Oh, and Eric?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You won't be disappointed." She exited towards the same set of curtains that Sookie had just slipped behind.

Eric sat at the little table for a few more seconds, dumbfounded, before he walked over to his booth. A few patrons were trickling in at this point, and he watched a couple of them sitting by the stage as they ogled Pam's gold lace-clad ass wiggle by. He shook his head and sat down.

There wasn't a long wait before the lights on the stage came up, in shades of red and yellow. This was followed quickly by Sam's voice over the P.A. system. He had an eye patch on. How festive. "Welcome to pirate night at Fangtasia. Before we get started with the Dollhouse Dance, we have a special guest for a little pole dance." There were murmurs and some cheers from the crowd. It was still a pretty small crowd, and Eric couldn't help but be pleased for that small fact. Same continued, "Please give a warm welcome to our very own waitress-dancer, Sweet Sookie!" Louder cheers. Obviously his little vixen had more of an effect on their patrons than he thought. Interesting.

The red and yellow lights on the stage faded to black, and a single spotlight highlighted the pole that was downstage center. The speakers gave off a little bit of static noise before a slightly harder version of "He's A Pirate" _Pirates of the Caribbean_ began. Sookie stepped out on stage to many a catcall. She sauntered over to the pole and began her routine.

Eric was demonstrating a copious amount of restraint in a number of areas. One, he was restraining himself from going ballistic on the men sitting and standing near the stage, who were calling out vulgarities to Sookie and whistling. He was also restraining himself from flying up onto the stage and fucking Sookie's brains out in front of the whole damn audience, giving them something to really whistle about. In light of all his restraining and not focusing on the pigs in the audience, Eric failed to notice that they were also throwing large quantities of wadded up bills on the stage.

After two more of the longest minutes of his life, Sookie dismounted the pole and exited the stage; Eric was right backstage when she got into the dressing room.

"Oh, Eric! You surprised me! I just saw you in the audience," Sookie giggled, one hand placed over her chest. She smiled brilliantly at him as she caught her breath. "What did you think?"

"Of your dance? It was…seductive," Eric replied, taking a moment to find the right word. Sookie beamed again. "But of you doing it in front of those…animals? That I didn't like." And here goes possessive Eric.

"What do you mean? They really seemed to like it." Sookie looked a little dejected.

"I'm sure that they liked it," Eric frowned. "Couldn't you hear what they were say--Never mind that, what they were thinking?" He caressed her temple before kissing her forehead.

Sookie shook her head. "Nope. I put my shields up and Pam gave me these." She held out her hand to reveal two little, red earplugs. "I could barely even hear the music. Apparently, a lot of the girls use them."

"So you enjoyed yourself then?" Eric asked incredulously.

"I sure did. It was exhilarating."

"And not to mention all the tips and business she earned," Pam commented as she walked up, handing Sookie a huge roll of cash. "Five hundred large, sweetheart."

Sookie's eyes got huge. "For one dance?"

"For one dance," Pam repeated before turning to Eric. He could practically see the dollar signs flashing in her eyes. "And that's not even including all the extra drinks and private dances we've been selling. Apparently the fact that Sookie is unattainable is inspiring the customers to request dances from the other girls. So everybody is winning tonight, it seems." She smiled, asking the silent question.

Eric still didn't look impressed. "It would…entirely be up to Sookie." He looked down at the little blonde, who was snuggled into his side and torn between looking interested in the conversation and staring at the money in her hand. She got the impression that someone was looking at her, so she looked up.

"Huh?"

"We…Pam was wondering if you'd be interested in continuing to do your intro dancing. Only when you want to though."

"Sure."

"And you'd get to pick your own costumes…And your music…And no nudity, of course…"

"I said sure, Eric." She smiled up at him before pulling him down for a quick kiss. Pam nodded and left to tend to more business. A couple more minutes passed before Sookie spoke again, "Are you sure _you're_ okay with me doing this?"

"I find it…interesting. I guess I'll have to get really good at pretending you're only dancing for me."

"Shouldn't be too hard, I only have eyes for you. All for you," she smiled at him again. He kissed her more intimately, passionately, before releasing her to freshen up.

"Promise me one thing?" he asked.

"Anything."

"Just keep the earplugs in when you do it." He offered her a small smile before exiting the dressing room.

Eric crossed the club quickly, making it to his office in about five minutes. Once there, he pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

"Good evening, Felipe."

* * *

**So, I know there's a lot that just happened there, so lay it on me, lol. Thanks again to everyone for being patient, I really appreciate it. I just want to reiterate that I have a plan, and that this story will be finished. Next up in the rotation is Allegro, so I'll see everyone who reads that there. Oh, and links to costume pictures on the profile.**

**-Sydney**


	20. Contact High

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a little while since the last update, but I'm actually sticking to the schedule, order-wise. So that's good I guess.**

**I just have a couple of announcements before I let you get to the action:**

**The timeline of this story was brought to my attention, and I ended up mapping the chronology out. So far, the passage of time in this story has been a little over month (like by a couple days) since Sookie started working at Fangtasia. It has been almost a month since Eric and Sookie had sex for the first time. If you want dates, Sookie was hired on Monday Oct. 19, 2009...and we're now on Saturday Nov. 21. This chapter starts on the same night that Sookie danced. I know it can get confusing to keep up with everything (hell, it was confusing for me to figure out), so I just wanted to clarify everything. I predict this story will wrap up sometime in December, maybe January, chronologically speaking.**

**Also, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing and getting Stiletto up and over 400 reviews. I'm truly, truly flattered that everyone likes this story so much.**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty- Contact High**

Sookie was stretched out on Eric's bed, the crimson sheet casually draped over her hip. When she felt the bed shift, she rolled onto her side to face Eric.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now," he said, smirking at her as he ran a hand down her bare shoulder.

"Nope. Still too excited." She smiled, looking over at her discarded pirate costume. "Pam was right; it is an adrenaline rush." Sookie flopped back against the bed, pulling Eric on top of her.

"I'm glad you're happy." He kissed her on the tip of her nose before moving to her lips. Sookie gripped his shoulders as his tongue traced its way down her neck to her breasts, wrapping itself around one of her nipples. She arched into his mouth and wove her fingers into his long, blonde mane.

Eric emitted a feral growl before sliding his body down the large bed, dragging the sheets with him. He dropped the sheet off the end of the bed and moved his large hands back up Sookie's partially spread legs. Spreading them wider, Eric slithered up between them, resting his head on her thigh. Sookie tensed, both in anticipation and fear of the unknown.

"Lover, look at me," he prompted gently as he rubbed soothing circles into the skin on her stomach. Sookie allowed her eyes to travel down to when Eric was laying. He actually looked pretty adorable, considering the circumstances.

"You look cute like that, you know."

"Cute?"

"Uh huh." Sookie smiled down at him.

"What about this? Do I still look cute doing this?" he teased, spreading her wide and running his rough tongue up her slit.

"Ungh," Sookie moaned, hips lifting off the bed. "Bastard," she hissed as Eric moved his mouth away from her center.

"What was that?" Eric asked before he moved back in to place a wet kiss on her clit.

She bucked again. "Fuck!" Eric chuckled a little as he slid two fingers into her. He pumped them in and out a few times before moving back up, covering Sookie's body with his own.

"That was different," Sookie commented, pulling Eric toward her for a kiss.

"Good different?" His fingers continued their methodical thrusting.

"Definitely." Sookie's statement was punctuated by a moan as Eric momentarily picked up speed. "But I want more."

"More?" Eric questioned. "More like…this?" He replaced his fingers with his dick.

"Oh yes."

* * *

Eric remained sitting up in bed, studying Sookie, for quite awhile after she had fallen asleep. The sheet was drawn up over her breasts and she was lying on her back. His eyes kept darting between the sleeping blonde and the pile of fabric on the floor that she had worn to make her pole dancing debut.

"_Good evening, Felipe."_

"_Northman, how…unexpected." Eric fought back the snort that threatened to escape at Felipe's attempted nonchalance. "What's the occasion?"_

"_The Stackhouse girl," Eric began. He was much better at faking apathy than de Castro. "She's dancing."_

"_Oh, really now?"_

"_Yes, really. Now what are you planning on offering me." Cutting to the chase. Eric didn't want to play games. Not when Sookie was involved._

"_I'll reduce your debt by a third. How's that sound?"_

"_You getting out of my business completely would be ideal, but we both know that'd never happen."_

"_Testy, testy, Mr. Northman. I thought you were happy with our arrangement," de Castro mused. Eric could almost see him smiling through the phone. "Of course, if your not, I'm sure Victor's…associates…would be interested to know who was the cause of all their lost…investments."_

"_No," Eric replied as smoothly as possible. "A one-third reduction is more than generous, Felipe."_

"_Fantastic. I just knew I'd find something good when I heard about the Halloween party and your pretty, pretty new waitress." Eric knew that his Halloween party was common knowledge, but his acquisition of Sookie most definitely wasn't. Damn it, Felipe._

_Fucking Victor. This was all his fault._

"Who is Victor?" Sookie asked, now laying on her side and looking up at Eric.

"What, lover?" Eric wondered how she knew what he was thinking about. Almost as if she read _his _mind…

"Victor. You just said it. You were staring off into space, and then you randomly said, 'Victor.' Who is he?"

"Just a businessman I used to know," he replied, placing a kiss on her lips. The way Eric said 'businessman' nearly made Sookie shiver. She wondered if Eric meant for it to come out that way. Like a warning, or something. She nodded and kissed him back. "You should be sleeping, lover. I can't have you exhausted at work tomorrow night, can I?"

"Can't help it," Sookie giggled. "Still wired. And besides, I did sleep a little bit." She looked at the clock on Eric's nightstand. "I slept a whole hour. Besides, I'll have plenty of time to sleep while you have to sleep." She reached into his lap and wrapped her hand around his cock.

"You little vixen," he moaned. "While I may not completely agree with how you got this buzz, I can't say I'm not enjoying the contact high," Eric mused before he rolled over and slipped inside her.

* * *

Eric rose the following night feeling pretty good. He heard his shower running, as well as Sookie's soft humming as she bathed. A couple minutes later, she emerged from a billow of steam, wrapped in a fluffy black towel. There was one wrapped around her head as well.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Sookie smiled at him before snatching up the t-shirt and panties she'd laid out on the bed prior to her shower.

"Hey yourself," he responded, standing up in all his naked glory. He stretched out, fully aware of his effect on Sookie. She stopped mid-dress, t-shirt half over her head, its neckline hanging on her nose.

"That's very distracting, you know," she mumbled from behind the cotton barrier. Eric looked over at Sookie and laughed.

"I'm aware," he commented, pulling on a pair of dark green lounge pants sans underwear. Walking over to where she was standing, he helped Sookie pull down the t-shirt before he gathered her in his arms. She snuggled into him, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "We have the whole night off. What does your heart desire, my love?"

Sookie looked up at Eric. "Where's the r?" she asked.

"The r, dearest?"

"Yeah." She looked down. "The r in lover. You said love."

"I did."

"But you call me lover."

"I do. But I also love you." Eric was smiling at this point.

"You love me?"

"I do."

"Huh." Sookie looked back up at him.

"Huh?"

"Does something amuse you, lover?" he purred the r.

"Only that I love you too."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Well then, I have to say I'm sorry, my love."

"What could you possibly be sorry for?" Sookie replied, a puzzled look on her face.

"I'm sorry that I said you could pick our agenda for the evening." He scooped her up into his arms. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to overrule you," he laughed, tossing Sookie back onto the bed and pulling her t-shirt back off in the process.

* * *

_Two weeks later… Monday, December 7th_

Sookie bounced off of the stage, and into the arms of her vampire. She locked her legs around his waist as he slid his hands under her to cup her ass with a squeeze. Eric was always extra horny after Sookie completed a routine, and this time was no exception. He pushed her up against the nearest wall, connecting their mouths. Sookie responded by slipping her tongue into Eric's mouth and moving her hips against him.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. "I take it you enjoyed the routine I taught her," Amelia laughed, coming in through one of the side curtains. She moved over to one of the vanity tables and picked up a curly blonde wig. Pam came backstage shortly after.

"Yeah, he liked it. Now would you guys just get a fucking room already?"

"I own this club, Pam. This is my room," Eric replied. Sookie giggled into his shoulder before motioning for him to set her down. She whispered something to Eric before grabbing her change of clothes and skipping out of the backstage area.

"Well, she seems to be taking to this like a fish to water. That's the expression, right, Amelia?" The brunette in the Shirley Temple wig nodded to Pam. "That's what I thought. Anyway, how are you fairing, Eric?"

Eric put his attention on Pam. "I am…well. The benefits are…outstanding."

Pam raised an eyebrow. "I'm fully aware you guys are fucking like rabbits…hell, we have to watch it half the time." Sookie had been dancing almost nightly since her first dance, and there had almost been a show. Twice. "You know that's not what I meant though. Has Felipe bothered you since you called him?"

Eric looked around; Amelia had gone on stage, and now the backstage area was abandoned. The other girls were doing floor rounds and private dances. "No. Not since Sookie started dancing…but I figure it is only a matter of time before he gets another wild hair."

"How the fuck did he even hear about Sookie anyway?" Pam perched herself on one of the red velvet chaise lounges in the room.

"That's the only thing that I do not understand. I can understand why he would want Sookie to dance. It is very uncharacteristic of him to just 'stop by.'"

"You think he has a source or something?"

"It's possible."

"A patron maybe? Someone who does…business with him?"

"Probably. Who really knows though? I just keep looking at it this way: with Sookie dancing, she's happy. De Castro is also happy, and he's reducing my debt. My woman is happy, I'm saving money, and no one is getting hurt, so I am also happy. As long as it stays this way, I will remain happy."

"If you say so. Do you honestly think he's going to let you off?"

Eric growled a little before cursing. "We'll know at the end, won't we?"

Pam nodded, realizing the end of the conversation, as Eric left the backstage area himself. He looked over to the waitress' area, where Sookie was back in her dark purple minidress making a margarita. She beamed at him when she saw him, nodding when she saw him make a motion for her to meet him at his table.

After making another round of her tables, Sookie slid into Eric's booth with a TrueBlood. He pulled her close and gave her a kiss. "How is your shift going, my love?" Ever since they exchanged the L-bomb, two weeks prior, Eric had been squeezing the endearment in at every opportunity.

"Good. I've been making more tip even while drink running, since I started dancing." Eric nodded; he knew how important it was to Sookie to maintain her independence. Besides, when she was using her extra spending cash to buy sexy lingerie and dresses for dates, he really couldn't complain.

"Have you given anymore thought to where you'd like to go on our date this Sunday?" Sunday, since the club was closed, was date night. This week it was Sookie's turn to pick.

She was about to reply when Arlene approached the table. "Have you guys seen Cicita?"

* * *

**I spy a mystery on the horizon, and I do love me a good mystery. I know I jumped around a couple more times in this chapter, but I hope it was understandable. This chapter covered two weeks in story time. We're moving right along, slowly approaching the end *tear*. I feel like there's about two chapters left.**

**Question though: I know I've revealed a couple of things to the audience, but not to the characters, but I was wondering- what are some unanswered questions you guys have? I have a set end in sight, but I still want to know if some things are still mysterious, or if I've given too much away already. I also want to make sure that all my loose ends are completely and sufficiently tied up. So, I'd love to hear what questions are still lingering.**

**Next up in the rotation is Allegro. See y'all there!**

**-Sydney**


	21. Leads

**A/N: Um…anyone still out there? I could come up with a billion reasons why I haven't posted since the beginning of June, but they're not going to make up for me not posting. Real life, writer's block, all of that was a factor. I'm really sorry, and I have a feeling it's going to be better for at least the duration of this story, which I'm seeing as 1-3 more chapters. I finally found my voice again with this story, and anyone who's talked to me on twitter knows that it wasn't an easy task and led to a slight degree of resentment before things got better. I'm also going to apologize because this chapter is quite short in the scheme of things, but it does cover a lot, and it is something. So I'm proud of that. It's also the natural progression before we get to the big finale.**

**A big thanks to everyone for sticking with me for this, my twitter gals for their constant love and support, and especially Lubadub, who constantly puts up with my whining via gmail. She's the bomb.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Recap: Sookie's been dancing nightly at Fangtasia, while Eric has placed a few strange calls to de Castro to get some kind of payment reduced in exchange for Sookie dancing. Everybody seems to be favoring nicely. We're now in the beginning of December chronologically, Monday the 7th__ when we start, and Tuesday the 8__th__ when the chapter concludes. Sookie is sitting with Eric at his table when Arlene approaches and asks if Sookie or Eric has seen Cicita this evening._

**Chapter Twentyone- Leads**

"No, I haven't," Sookie replied, looking up at Arlene. "Did she come in tonight?"

Arlene tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Ya know, now that I think about it, I don't think she did. Oh, and Sook? Can you come give us a hand?" Her tone wasn't snide, but Sookie hopped right up out of the booth.

"Of course. You shouldn't even have to ask."

…

Back at the waitress' area, Sookie cracked open some beer bottles while simultaneously balancing a phone on her shoulder, listening to a dial tone as she waited for Cicita to answer.

"Damn it," she cursed, hanging the phone back up.

"Voice mail again?" Arlene asked as she picked up two of the beer bottles that Sookie had uncapped.

Sookie nodded and picked up the remaining bottles. "She's probably sick or something. I know I wouldn't feel like picking up the phone if I felt like death warmed over."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Arlene replied, sauntering off to deliver her drinks. Sookie went in the other direction to deliver hers. Eric slid up beside her as she dropped off the final beer.

"Did you get in touch with Cicita?"

"No. Just got her voice mail." Eric nodded in comprehension.

"Did you notice anything up with her on Saturday?"

"She said her stomach hurt, but that was probably because she was on her period," her voice trailed off and she looked up at Eric and blushed. Eric pulled her towards him and kissed her temple before gesturing for her to continue. "Might've developed into a stomach thing or something." She shrugged.

"Most likely," Eric agreed. "Maybe try her again if you get a chance?"

"Of course. I wanna make sure she's feeling okay."

He sighed happily. "Your compassion is very endearing, love." Eric kissed her again before dropping her off at the waitress' area. Sookie slid behind the counter, collecting some empties that had accumulated there and loading the dishwasher to be turned on later.

Arlene joined her a few minutes later. "Hey, Sook, I grabbed five of my tables orders at once, would you mind helping me mix and run?"

"Nope, not at all." Sookie grabbed a ticket and started assembling a tray. She grabbed and heated four TrueBloods in varying types for the first table, and two beers, a screwdriver, and a Jack and Coke for the second table. After plucking a couple more beers for Arlene's tray, the two of them made the deliveries. Pam was waiting at a table near the bar when they returned.

"What brings you out amongst the vermin this evening, Pam?" Sookie lilted, putting her empty tray up on the bar as Arlene walked back through the swinging door. Pam barked out a laugh and patted the other chair at the table, which she had brought around next to the one she was currently sitting in. Sookie complied and joined her.

"I was just helping you guys make last call," she smiled, the expression looking a little scary on her face. "And I wanted to tell you that your tips from dancing are backstage."

Sookie glanced down at her white plastic digital watch. "Damn, it is almost closing, isn't it."

"That it is," Pam replied. She glanced around and offered a cursory wave to a table of thirty-something human men who were on their way out.

Forty five minutes later and the club was cleared out of patrons. "Ready to go, Sookie?" Eric asked as he strode out of the back hallway. Sookie nodded, said goodbye to all present, and walked with Eric back down the hallway.

Eric could sense Sookie's anxiety as they made their way out to his car. After he got her settled into the passenger seat, he wordlessly handed her his cell phone. She smiled up at him before he closed the door. "Thanks, how'd you know?" she asked when Eric slid into the driver's seat.

"I saw your phone plugged in when I picked you up tonight, and I can feel the anxiety rolling off of you in waves."

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?" Sookie leaned over and kissed Eric on the cheek before settling in her seat and dialing the number that she had committed to memory.

After three more tries, and no responses, she gave up for the night and handed Eric his phone. "I'm sure she's just sleeping off whatever sickness she's gotten," he tried reassuring Sookie. She nodded as they pulled up to Sookie's apartment. Eric had a feeling that there might be more to Cicita's sudden disappearance, but he didn't want to alarm Sookie. After helping her out of the car, the two of them went up to Sookie's place for the night.

…

No one had heard from Cicita the following night at Fangtasia either. Sookie had just finished her routine and was back serving drinks, and Eric was making his way back to his office. Sensing something was off, he opened his door cautiously, revealing de Castro sitting at his desk.

"Wonderful show, Northman. That waitress of yours is…something." He stood up, making a show of dusting off his pants.

"What are you doing here?" Eric asked as calmly as he could.

"Merely passing through, on my way back from visiting some of those…_associates_ you're so invested in avoiding," Felipe replied, not-so-subtly reminding Eric who was in charge.

"You're checking up on me," Eric growled, following Felipe out into the back hallway and towards the door.

"Relax, Northman. It's nothing of the sort. Just…scouting _talent_."

"Stay away from my girls, de Castro. You're getting your money, and I know you have other ways of confirming what is going on in _my club_."

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint. I'm leaving." He smiled, fangs out, before leaving through the club's back entrance.

…

"I just don't believe that Cicita would miss work two nights in a row without so much as a phone call," Sookie commented as she filled a beer pitcher.

"That does seem quite unlike her," Arlene added, sticking olive toothpicks in the martinis she was making.

"You actually think she's missing?" Dahlia snapped as she approached the outside of the waitress' area. "This isn't CSI, you know."

"I can't get a hold of her and she hasn't called in. Excuse me for being a little concerned for my _friend_," Sookie shot back.

"Whatever. Keep your eye peeled for the big, bad kidnapper." Dahlia rolled her eyes and walked off with her orders. Sookie looked over at Arlene, who just shrugged.

"You might be right, you know," Arlene offered, coming over to stand next to Sookie. "There's been a guy who's been at my tables a time or two, Dahlia's and Cicita's too. I've never seen him in all my time working here, started coming in here on Halloween." She shrugged again and took her own tray to her tables. All of Sookie's tables had been fully taken care of, so once she cashed out her checks, she headed back to Eric's office.

As she rounded the corner, she saw a man slipping out the back door. She waited until the door was completely closed before she continued down the hall and into Eric's office. Eric was standing with his back to the door, and his desk chair lay in splinters on the floor.

"Eric?" Sookie asked, rushing to his side. "Eric, what's wrong? Who was that man?"

Eric turned to face Sookie, quickly pulling her tight to him. "Nothing's wrong, love. And that was Felipe de Castro." There was no sense in lying to her, Eric figured. She'd already seen him. Better for her to know who to be wary of.

"_Nothing_ doesn't cause you to break things, Eric. And de Castro? The guy you bought this building from?" Sookie felt Eric stiffen.

"Who told you that?"

"Pam did, she uh-"

"What did she tell you, Sookie?"

"Just that you bought the building from him. Why? What shouldn't she have told me? And why shouldn't she have told me it?"

Eric brushed her questions off. "Sookie." He kissed her on the top of the head. "Nothing's wrong. Just make you come to me straight away if you see him in here again." That was the truth. Nothing _was _wrong. Not yet anyway. At least Sookie now knew to stay aware of de Castro.

"That still doesn't sound like nothing, but I know you're not going to tell me anyway." She turned towards the door. "I'm all ready to leave when you are. I'll be backstage with Amelia."

"I love you, Sookie," Eric said. And he did. With all his heart. Everything he did was to protect her, to protect their future.

"I love you too, Eric." Sookie turned back to give him a half smile before leaving the office.

* * *

**So, like I said, we're almost at the end. I'm actually pretty stoked about writing the rest of this little ditty, which is something I haven't felt…pretty much towards writing in general in awhile.**

**A couple of notes:**

**I know that a lot has been going on about writers moving off the site because of more problems, and I really wanted to address this during it's peak, but you're hearing from me now. I'm not leaving here until I'm kicked off, but I am on wordpress and all of my stories (except Drawn) are fully updated there now too. And it got a spanky new makeover. So you can subscribe to that for email updates, because I'll occasionally post news items, like if I get supernova writer's block again, and other things like that. You can also always find me on twitter (chiisai_kitty).**

**Wordpress blog: http:/ chiisaikitty . wordpress . com**

**Another note: I recently went into business for myself, it's a jewelry and accessories store on Etsy. Great prices, fast shipping :) **

**http:/ cupcakecameo . etsy . com (clickable link and more information on my profile as well)**

**-Sydney**


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